


Phela: The Beginning

by Brose1001



Series: Phela [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Immortal!Ianto, M/M, Other, Phela, Triad - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-11-10
Packaged: 2018-04-11 02:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 28,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4417460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brose1001/pseuds/Brose1001
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part One is now complete; Part Two will be coming shortly.</p><p>Ianto Jones is assigned as Jeannie's caretaker at Torchwood London; he is not happy with the experiments that are being run on the young woman, and helps her to escape to Cardiff when the Ghost Shifts happen. Once there, they are welcomed to the team. Read on to see what happens in a world where Gwen might not join, Suzie lives, and so do Owen and Tosh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jeannie's Story

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to my beta, Red Shoe Kitty, for her support and 'Brit-picking'.

It was a typically hot afternoon as Jeannie trudged down the sidewalk that day. The middle of August was always one of the hottest times in Tucson, Arizona. She thought to herself, once again, that she could not WAIT to get out of the desert, to somewhere with actual SEASONS, not just really hot, and really cold. It was a short walk to her son’s school, and they always raced each other back home for the day, so it would go quickly. But for now, she was on auto-pilot, thinking of what to make for dinner, a new avenue she could pursue in her latest project, and a dozen other random thoughts. A bright flash of light caused Jeannie’s head to jerk up from the pavement she had been studying absently; a disturbance in the air had appeared right in front of her. She had no chance to back away, or even yell out for help, she was simply…engulfed…and was somewhere else.   
Her eyes grew wide in shock at the sudden chill in the air. Everything was a bright white, with no seams. She heard a hissing sound, and then everything went black. When she next opened her eyes, Jeannie was lying on some sort of platform, just wide enough for her body, and couldn’t move. Surrounding her was still that painfully bright environment, but it was broken up somewhat by the…beings that were scuttling back and forth around her. The creatures were also white, and looked kind of like cats…but bipedal, and with a great deal more intelligence than the typical house-cat possesses. Upon noticing that she was conscious, there was a bit of a flurry, and then everything went dark again.  
This pattern continued, with Jeannie waking up, them noticing, and her being knocked out again, for an indeterminate amount of time. The only thing she notices in between the bouts of blackness is that she feels a bit further from normal each time, with the difference growing. And it starts hurting. And then, suddenly, the pain is gone. There are no more cat-creatures in the room, although she is still bound to the table; she feels some kind of…tingling…in the back of her head, like if she could just…reach out and grab it…she would be able to escape. Concentrating upon that tingle, Jeannie closes her eyes, and is…not there anymore. Upon her arrival in her current prison, loud alarms sounded right before she lost consciousness. At a later time, she will realize that she went from the proverbial frying pan into the fire, but for now, she is knocked out again. She is not really coherent for a long time afterward, only remembering glimpses of people. Her sense of time is non-existent; she has been so loopy and strung out from the drugs these people keep her pumped her full of, that she has no idea which way is up most of the time, much less how long she has been here. During a more lucid period, she sees a new face; a young man, fairly tall, with dark hair and pale skin. She sees him several times, and he seems to be sympathetic to her plight; she begins to hang onto thoughts of him. 

When Canary Wharf happened, the young man took the opportunity to get her out of her prison. Once out in the open, he carried her emaciated form to his vehicle; while she remained unconscious, he went back inside the Tower for needed equipment, and a few things that he did not feel UNIT should have, if the Tower was really falling, as he suspected. And, really, with two different alien species fighting for supremacy in the corridors, he had every right to believe that this was the end for Torchwood London.  
Upon returning to the vehicle, he found that Jeannie was stirring. She looked at him blearily, with a question in her eyes.  
Ianto gave her a reassuring look, “The Tower was invaded by two different alien forces, which seemed hell-bent on destroying each other, so I took the opportunity to remove you from the premises; I’m taking us to Cardiff,” he said, in his soft Welsh accent.   
Jeannie looked relieved, and fell asleep again; meanwhile, he headed to his bank, and withdrew the balance of his accounts, figuring that cash would be easier to deal with until he got Jeannie settled somewhere safe.  
Halfway to Cardiff, he pulls into the Membury Services for a bit of rest, and to catch his breath. While sipping the hot tea he purchased for himself, he looks over his passenger. He sees a young woman, with strawberry blond hair, and freckles. Her eyes, on the rare times he has seen them open, appear to be hazel. She is perhaps 160cm tall, and weighs maybe 50kg. She is quite underweight, and could easily stand to gain another 10kg. He will take care of that. With that thought running through his mind, he closes his eyes.  
After sleeping soundly for a couple of hours, he wakes feeling much better. When his eyes open, he is immediately aware that Jeannie is awake, and watching him warily. Her eyes seem much clearer than he has ever seen them; the drugs must be finally wearing off. He blinks, and with a small smile, gently holds out his hand. “I’m Ianto Jones, and you’re safe now; we’re about halfway between London and Cardiff.”  
She nods slowly, and asks, “Where’s the bathroom?”  
Ianto’s face creases in a pleased grin at her coherence. He hurries to get out of the car, and after opening her door for her, Ianto helps Jeannie to stand. She is as weak as a kitten, and it shows. Without any fanfare, he scoops her into his arms, and makes his way to the loo. Not blinking an eye, he shoulders open the door to the handicapped facilities, and gets her settled. They both avoid each other’s eyes, and blush a bit; then Jeannie sighs, and worms her way out of her underwear, then sighs again in relief as she empties her bladder. Ianto hears the toilet flush, and turns around to help Jeannie wash her hands, then carries her back to the car. He offers some hot tea, and she gratefully accepts it, after buckling her seatbelt. Ianto starts up the car, and they continue their journey to Cardiff, with Jeannie watching silently out the window.

It is around 10AM when they arrive at the city center, so Ianto parks in the parking garage near the Plass; no time like the present to introduce himself to their leader, and sound him out for help.  
Upon arrival at the tourist office entrance, Ianto finds it locked. Knowing that there will be CCTV coverage of the area, he looks for the camera; when he locates it, he stares into it for a bit, patiently waiting for a response. When the door bursts open, he gets his first look at the infamous Captain Jack Harkness; standing there with his hands on his hips, the Captain makes his perusal quite obvious. Ianto holds his hand out to the Captain, introducing himself, “Jones, Ianto Jones. I need your help. Can we go inside and talk in private?”  
The Captain blinks, and accepts the handshake, then nods his acquiescence to a private conversation inside. Standing back, he waves Ianto into the office, closing and locking the door behind himself. With a flirty smile, the Captain says, “and what can I do for you, Jones, Ianto Jones?” “I was at Torchwood London,” Ianto replies, “and…” Jack interrupts, “I have nothing for you here, go live your life somewhere else.” With that said, he throws open the door, and waves the young man out. Ianto narrows his eyes at the Captain, refusing to move. “You should really hear what I have to say; she needs help only Torchwood can provide; Torchwood One did this to her, and it is Torchwood’s responsibility to try to fix her.”  
Jack glares at this young man…he was in London, he was part of what killed Rose, part of the Ghost Shifts. But…a woman? Injured? Maybe experimented on? Hrmmm. Making a snap judgment, Jack says, “Is she close? I can have my doctor check her out. Is she human?” “Yes, and I’m…not sure…if she’s human; she looks human.” Jack walks with Ianto as he travels back to his car to retrieve Jeannie. When they arrive, Jeannie has her door open, and is sitting with her legs hanging out the door; her head is resting against the headrest on the seat, and her eyes are closed.  
Ianto crouches down, gently placing his hand on her knee to gain her attention. Jeannie’s eyes open and she immediately sees Jack, standing there in this big, bulky coat, and looking so very confident and trustworthy. Tears fill her eyes, and her breath catches; somehow, she just knows that this man, in addition to Ianto, is going to be very important in her life.  
Jack’s eyes widen a bit, and he nods. “Okay, I believe you…for now. Let’s get her to the Hub, so Owen can check her out.”


	2. Ianto's Tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ianto's pov of the events leading them to Cardiff

A/N: RedShoeKitty is a wonderful beta, many thanks!

When Ianto Jones was employed by Torchwood, he could not believe his good fortune. He was able to research alien technology to his heart's content in the cavernous archives of Torchwood Tower. For the first few months anyway; his quiet nature apparently impressed someone higher up than he had met, and he was transferred to a basement-level research lab. While he mourned the loss of the daily archives access, he thought that maybe this would be just as interesting, in a different way. Then he found out that the rumors of what went on in these lower levels were based upon truth: experimentation upon actual aliens. His impassive mask stood him in very good stead on that initial tour of the facilities when he observed a small alien creature strapped down to a table, and screaming as scalpels cut into it. He tries very hard not to think about that type of thing very often, as there is nothing he can do to stop it. When Ianto is lead into a small room, he is almost afraid of what he will see. It's actually not too bad, based upon what he has already seen down here. A young woman is lying upon a hospital bed, with a thin blanket pulled up under her arms. An IV bag is hanging at the head of the bed, with the port inserted halfway down her forearm. She appears to be sleeping, but he is disabused of that idea with what his supervisor tells him: that the 'subject' is heavily sedated to keep her from trying anything funny. He then goes on to inform Ianto that this room, and its occupant, are his new job. He is to keep her clean, and call one of the nurses when either her IV bag or her urine bag needs to be changed out. Ianto nods numbly.

As the days blur into one another, the young woman wakes up every now and then; Ianto tries to reassure her that she is fine, and that he will take care of her. She never stays conscious for more than a minute or two, which leaves him with ample time to watch her. He sees a woman of perhaps 20 or 22, with strawberry blonde hair and a lot of freckles. The few times her eyes have opened, they have appeared to be hazel. She has never spoken, so he has no idea if she even speaks English, but he chatters to her throughout the days anyway.

Before he knows it, two months have passed, and the Ghost Shifts have started. They make him so very uneasy, and he just makes sure that he is in her room whenever one is scheduled to happen. Ghost Shifts, he snorts to himself. How the hell do you 'schedule' a meeting with the hereafter? Something is really, really wrong with this whole situation, but what else is new? This is Torchwood, and while the majority of the employees here have no clue what really happens in this building, those few who are 'in the know' are leading the race to do inadvisable things like these Ghost Shifts. Only this time, they are taking the whole of Britain along for the ride. If and when it all goes tits-up, Ianto fully intends to get the young woman out of here. That time comes much sooner than he thought it would, with the shit hitting the fan the next morning.

During the regularly scheduled 'visitation', Ianto is, as usual, in the young woman's room, with the door firmly shut. Through that door, he hears a good deal of screaming, along with what sounds like heavy metal boots marching along the corridor outside the room. With wide eyes, he scrambles to quietly lock the door, feeling quite thankful that the patient is out cold, and likely to stay that way. He does, however, want her to not be out cold for much longer, because now is the time to put his ideas into motion for getting her out of here. Therefore, he carefully removes the IV from her arm and the catheter from her…well…where it goes. He puts a pair of scrub bottoms onto her that he found in one of the drawers weeks ago, and wraps the blanket around her, so that they will be ready to run for it as soon as it is reasonably safe to do so.

It seemed as though hours had passed, but it was really only one hour, max, before it was silent outside the room. Ianto carefully unlocks the door, and opens it a bare crack to see if the coast is clear. Finding that it is, he props the door open with the chair he has been lounging in for the past two months, then scoops up the young woman and hustles down the hallway to the emergency exit. Once out in the open, he carries her emaciated form to his vehicle; while she remains unconscious, he goes back inside the Tower for needed equipment, and a few things that he doesn't feel UNIT should have, if the Tower was really falling, as he suspects. And, really, with two different alien species fighting for supremacy in the corridors, he has every right to believe that this is the end for Torchwood London.

Upon returning to the vehicle, he finds that the patient has started to wake up a bit. She looks at him blearily, with a question in her eyes.

"The Tower has been invaded by two different alien forces, which seem hell-bent on destroying each other, so I took the opportunity to remove you from the premises; I'm taking us to Cardiff," he said, in his soft Welsh accent.

The young woman looks quite relieved, and falls asleep again; meanwhile, he heads to his bank, and withdraws the balance of his accounts, figuring that cash will be easier to deal with until he gets both of them settled somewhere safe.

Halfway to Cardiff, he pulls into a rest area for a bit of rest, and to catch his breath. While sipping the hot tea he purchased for himself, he looks over his passenger. She is perhaps 160cm tall, and weighs maybe 50kg. She is quite underweight, and could easily stand to gain another 10kg. He will take care of that. With that thought running through his mind, he closes his eyes in exhaustion.

After sleeping soundly for a couple of hours, he wakes feeling much better. When his eyes open, he is immediately aware that his passenger is awake, and watching him warily. Her eyes seem much clearer than he has ever seen them; the drugs must be finally wearing off. He blinks, and with a small smile, gently holds out his hand. "I'm Ianto Jones, and you're safe now."

She blinks slowly, and says, "I'm Jeannie Crandle; thank you for the rescue. Where's the bathroom? I really need to go!"

Ianto's face creases in a pleased grin at her coherence. He hurries to get out of the car, and after opening her door for her, Ianto helps Jeannie to stand. She is as weak as a kitten, and it shows. Without any fanfare, he scoops her into his arms, and makes his way to the loo. Not blinking an eye, he shoulders open the door to the handicapped facilities, and gets her settled. They both avoid each other's eyes, and blush a bit; then Jeannie sighs, and worms her way out of the scrub bottoms, then sighs again in relief as she empties her bladder. Ianto hears the toilet flush, and turns around to help Jeannie wash her hands, then carries her back to the car. He offers some hot tea, and she gratefully accepts it, after buckling her seatbelt. Ianto starts up the car, and they continue their journey to Cardiff, with Jeannie watching silently out the window.

It is around 10AM when they arrive at the city center, so Ianto parks in the parking garage near the Plass; no time like the present to introduce himself to the leader of Torchwood Cardiff, and sound him out for help.

Upon arrival at the tourist office entrance, Ianto finds it locked. Knowing that there will be CCTV coverage of the doorway, he looks for the camera; when he locates it, he stares into it for a bit, patiently waiting for a response. When the door bursts open, he gets his first look at the infamous Captain Jack Harkness; standing there with his hands on his hips, the Captain makes his perusal quite obvious. Ianto holds his hand out to the Captain, introducing himself, "Jones, Ianto Jones. I need your help. Can we go inside and talk in private?"

The Captain blinks, and accepts the handshake, then nods his acquiescence to a private conversation inside. Standing back, he waves Ianto into the office, closing and locking the door behind himself. With a flirty smile, the Captain says, "and what can I do for you, Jones, Ianto Jones?" "I was at Torchwood London," Ianto replies, "and…" Jack interrupts, "I have nothing for you here, go live your life somewhere else." With that said, he throws open the door, and waves the young man out. Ianto narrows his eyes at the Captain, refusing to move. "You should really hear what I have to say; she needs help only Torchwood can provide; Torchwood One did this to her, and it is Torchwood's responsibility to try to fix her."

Jack glares at this young man…he was in London, he was part of what killed Rose, part of the Ghost Shifts. But…a woman? Injured? Maybe experimented on? Hrmmm. Making a snap judgment, Jack says, "Is she close? I can have my doctor check her out. Is she human?" "Yes, and I'm…not sure…if she's human; she looks human." Jack walks with Ianto as he travels back to his car to retrieve Jeannie. When they arrive, Jeannie has her door open, and is sitting with her legs hanging out the door; her head is resting against the headrest on the seat, and her eyes are closed. She is quite pale, making her freckles stand out sharply from her skin.

Ianto crouches down, gently placing his hand on her knee to gain her attention. Jeannie's eyes open and she immediately sees Jack, standing there in this big, bulky coat, and looking so very confident and trustworthy. Tears fill her eyes, and her breath catches; somehow, she just knows that this man, in addition to Ianto, is going to be very important in her life.

Jack's eyes widen a bit, and he nods. "Okay, I believe you…for now. Let's get her to the Hub, so Owen can check her out."


	3. In the Hub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when the pair of refugees enter the hub?

In the Hub

Neither Ianto nor Jeannie had ever seen a ‘secret underground base’ before, and were both quite speechless upon entering. Both for different reasons, though. Ianto was, understandably, aghast at the rubbish and random pieces of alien tech lying about, while Jeannie was agog at all of the high-tech gear she saw. Jack was watching them both closely, seemingly expecting some sort of positive reaction; he was distracted from Ianto’s lackluster response by Jeannie’s gasp of awe. Had he been a dog, his tail would have been wagging madly in happiness. Considering his task complete, Jack introduces them to Tosh, who gives them a shy smile, then to Suzi, who looks them both over, before nodding and returning to her work. He leads the two towards the autopsy bay, where a slim, messy-looking man was bent over an alien corpse. “OWEN!” The man jumps a bit, cursing, and glares up at Jack. He pauses in what he was about to say when he sees that there are guests present. 

“Dragging things in again, are we?” Owen snarks. He receives an eye blink from Ianto and Jeannie, and narrowed eyes from Jack. “Ianto and Jeannie here are from Canary Wharf. They survived the battle; Jeannie was a test subject that Ianto assisted in escape, and needs a full medical exam.” Owen’s face registers surprise at this, and he grabs his kit. He ascends the stairs, waving the visitors to follow him to a small treatment room, since his exam table is currently occupied.

Once in the treatment room, Owen waves Ianto towards the closest of the three cots in the room, and indicates that he should put Jeannie down on it. After depositing Jeannie, Ianto starts to move away, but is halted in his movements by Jeannie’s hand tightly grasping his shirt hem. He looks back at her, and sighs in understanding; he rounds the cot, and stands quietly on the other side of it holding her hand. Without batting an eyelash, Owen begins his exam with a quick visual inspection. He notes the emaciation, the dull hair, and the ill-fitting clothing. He provides a set of clean scrubs for her to change into, and leaves the room for a few minutes.

The excitement of getting into the Hub, plus changing her clothes, has just about worn Jeannie out; her meager reserves of strength have been depleted, and she is exhausted, which Owen notices upon his return to the room. 

While he was out of the room, he had written down a few basic questions to ask that would help him treat her. Re-entering the room, Owen crosses over to the equipment bank that is present, and runs several leads over to the cot. He attaches them gently to the traumatized woman, starting at her head, and moving his way down her body, finishing with the final lead at her ankles. Then he looks at her, and asks, “How long were you a test subject?” She shrugs, and looks at Ianto. Ianto says, “I’m not sure, but at least 4 months, probably 6 or more; she was already in bad shape when I was assigned to her two months ago.” Jeannie squeezes his hand in support, and he smiles down at her. Owen nods his head to acknowledge the answer, and says, “Okay, I need to know everything you remember about what happened to you, from before Canary Wharf.”

Jeannie takes a deep breath, and looks into the distance while she figures out where to start. “I was born in Georgia, in the US. I was in the US military for several years, and then was discharged; I joined my mother-in-law with my husband and two children in her home in 2009. And before you say anything, yes, I know that is in the future from now, and I am also time-displaced, we’ll go over that later. I went to college from 2009-2014 for a BA; in the summer of 2015, I was walking along the sidewalk, and saw a bright flash of light. When I woke up, I was in some sort of medical bay, and these furry…feline-like…creatures were racing back and forth. I couldn’t move anything except my eyes. They were doing something to me, I have no idea what. I blacked out again; when I woke back up, I was still in that room, but alone. Then another bright flash came, and I was at Canary Wharf. I’m guessing that the people there had some warning I was going to appear, because the knocked me out right away. Everything after that is really fuzzy, since they kept me drugged to the gills.” Jeannie shakes her head a bit to clear her vision, and then looks at Ianto before meeting Owen’s eyes. “Ianto saved my life; I had no idea what was happening; I woke up in his car, with him disheveled and frantic. I’m…not sure…what happened then; I woke up again on the side of the road, in a rest area. He told me where we were going, and that it was our best bet of getting the help I needed to get well again.” Still looking at Owen, Jeannie continues, “I was born human, but I don’t think I am anymore. I can do things, and see things, I never could before. I feel…something…here, in the Hub; it feels…tingly, like a constant charge is running through me all the time, and if I could just grab it, I could do anything.” She shakes her head again, blinking rapidly. “It’s weird, but I don’t know how else to describe it.”

Owen’s eyebrows have climbed as she was telling her story, his brow wrinkling in thought. “Okay, so, blood tests, and if you can give a urine sample, that would also be good. I can put in a catheter if you prefer, since you really are very weak right now, and I don’t think you should be moving around for a few days.” He looks at Jeannie expectantly, waiting for her decision. She nods, acquiescing to the catheter; Owen waves Jack and Ianto out of the room for a bit of privacy while he inserts the tube, and sets up the bag. He puts a few more pillows behind her back to help her sit up better, then finds a vein, and draws the needed blood.

In the hallway outside the treatment room

Jack pierces Ianto with a look, and says, “Okay, you got her here, and Owen is checking her out. Her story is…interesting, to say the least. How much of that did you already know?” “Not much beyond what it was like for her at Canary Wharf; she has been so out of it that conversation wasn’t really all that possible. Are you going to let us stay? I’m not really that hurt from the Battle, I was an archivist at the Tower before I was assigned to Jeannie as her caretaker.” Jack looks at Ianto thoughtfully, and then nods. “I think we can work something out; we’ll keep your Torchwood employment active, and play it by ear with Jeannie’s situation. I’m going to have Owen look you over as well, just to make sure you’re okay too.” They both head back into the treatment room when Owen lets them know that everything is settled.

Jeannie is lying on the cot, leaning back against several pillows, with a thick quilt draped over her lower half. She has an IV port in her forearm, and is looking quite sleepy. Owen indicates that he will complete her exam after she has slept for several hours; this will give him the time he needs to complete her blood work and urine tests. Jack looks at Owen, and then jerks his head at Ianto significantly. Owen gives Ianto a quick once over, then leads him to the next cot, tosses him a set of scrubs, and says, “You know the drill, we’ll be back in 5.” Ianto sighs, and nods.

As expected, Owen doesn’t find a whole lot medically wrong with Ianto, beyond some dehydration and exhaustion, so he is allowed to put his clothes back on after providing blood and urine to be tested. Ianto pushes his cot right up against Jeannie’s, and settles down; he is asleep as soon as he is horizontal.

Feeling truly safe for the first time in a long time, Jeannie stretches out, hugging one of the pillows, and sleeps peacefully throughout the remainder of the day, through the night, and into the following morning. She finally wakes up, and stretches luxuriously, while looking around the room. She sees Ianto seated next to her cot, and spies a bag of food at his feet. Sniffing ostentatiously, she raises her brows at him, and he nods with a grin. He picks up the bag and moves to sit by her hips on the cot, and then pulls out the fish and chips he brought for them to munch on. The eat in companionable silence; when they are both finished, Ianto gathers up the rubbish, and deposits it into the bin by the cot. 

Owen arrives to check on his patient about this time, noticing that she looks much better than she had the previous day. He had seen Ianto earlier, when he went out on the food run, and had given him the all-clear. After examining Jeannie, Owen looks a bit confused. She is in much better shape than she should be, based upon what her condition was 24 hours ago. “You two stay here; I need to let Jack know the prognosis, and then we’ll both be down to discuss where we go from here.”

They share a look, then nod their heads to affirm that they understand the instructions they have been given. Owen leaves the room at a fast walk, and door clicks shut behind him. Ianto looks at Jeannie, and quirking his eyebrow, says, “I think I know what is wrong. You are a whole lot better than you should be already; I think that is a mark in the ‘alien’ column, whether you were born on Earth or not.” Jeannie shakes her head in confusion. “But the US Navy, they do a DNA test on all of their enlistees; surely they would have noticed?” “No, what I meant was that I think that when you were taken the first time, they changed your DNA, to make you an alien. If that is the case, then we are in the best possible place to get some answers, without you being poked and prodded too much.” They both looked at each other for a few more minutes, digesting what Ianto had said, then sighed. Both of them stretched out on their cots again, this time with Jeannie’s head pillowed on Ianto’s shoulder, and his arm wrapped around her. Dozing off, they both sleep again.


	4. Jack's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack's POV of the 1st day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Red Shoe Kitty for the beta reading and brit-picking!  
> This is the final POV chapter; the following chapters will be plotty, and build from here.

   The day was about as normal as it could get in Torchwood. Jack started it on a rooftop until dawn, and then he meandered past a bakery to acquire breakfast for his team. They have all been working on their backlog of paperwork for a couple of hours when Tosh calls for Jack. Always looking for any excuse to avoid paperwork, he bounds down to her station, and looks at her monitor. He notices a young man standing outside of their tourist information center, staring into the CCTV camera. “How long as he been there?” Jack asks. “Half an hour; he paces a bit, then starts staring again.” Tosh replies, looking up at Jack. “OK, everyone, I’m gonna go take care of this, just keep up what you’re all doing.” With that, Jack grabs his greatcoat and strides through the cog door.

   Jack throws open the TIC door with gusto, and is slightly miffed that it fails to startle the young man waiting outside. Jack’s eyebrow climbs in appreciation as he gives the young man a slow once-over. He _definitely_ approves. He mentally shakes his head at himself; gotta see what he wants first, and _then_ I can see about getting him out of those clothes. 

   The young man holds out his hand for a shake, introducing himself as _Jones, Ianto Jones_. Says he needs help, but can they talk about inside? Seeing no problem with that request, he waves the man into the TIC, admiring his arse as he walks inside, then closes and locks the door before leaning back against it with his hands in his pockets. Jack flirts a bit, sounding things out, but the man does not appear to notice. Jack’s lusty thoughts come to a screeching halt when he hears that the man worked for Torchwood London, and he cuts him off mid-sentence to throw the door open again, and try to usher him out. Ianto doesn’t move though, and goes on to say that he has a woman with him that Torchwood _owes_ help to. Thinking fast, Jack finally nods, and follows Ianto to the car park nearby. As they go into the shadowy interior, he sees the dome light of a car, shining down upon a bedraggled-looking young woman with her legs hanging out of the door.

   Jack watches in silence as Ianto gently wakes the woman, and she notices him. Her eyes fill with tears, and he sees an amazed and thankful expression flit across her face; he decides that Owen will look them both over, and if they are a threat, the cells are always available.

   Jack always likes bringing the rare newcomer into the Hub. He always gets a thrill from their awed reactions, and he expects no less from the current guests. Watching them closely, he sees a look of dismay cross Ianto’s features, and this causes him to pause; then he sees the desired reaction on Jeannie’s face, and preens a bit.

   He introduces them to Tosh and Suzi, then leads them down to the autopsy bay, shouting Owen’s name as he goes. After a bit of snark from Owen, he takes his new patients into the treatment room. He bustles around a bit getting Jeannie settled, and quietly looks her over while she is settling down on the cot. He notes the emaciation, the dull hair, and the pale skin while running leads from some of the equipment; attaching the leads. A clean set of scrubs are pulled out of a drawer and handed to Jeannie to change into, and Owen leaves the room to offer a bit of privacy, dragging Jack with him.

   Upon their return, Owen makes note of her apparent exhaustion, and rattles off some standard questions, recording her answers. She has no idea how long she was a test-subject, but with what she has been through, he can guarantee that she is going to have at least a _little_ PTSD to contend with in the coming months. After hearing her story, and that the aliens ‘did’ something to her that made her feel strange, he got a DNA sample to run alongside the blood and urine he was already planning to test.

   Owen kicks both Jack and Ianto out into the hallway while he gets the catheter inserted.

   Jack gives Ianto a considering look, and asks Ianto how much of that he already knew. Ianto actually knew very little of it, and seems more concerned with whether or not they would be kicked to the curb. Jack was able to reassure that, no, they would be safe in the Hub, and perhaps even be gainfully employed, since Ianto was an archivist. Jack was actually overjoyed at that, his archives were in terrible shape. But he could tend to that _after_ Owen looks him over; he also looks quite strung out.

   When they return to the room, Jeannie is in fresh clothing, and is comfortably ensconced on the cot, with a new IV port in her forearm. She looks about ready to fall asleep sitting there, so Ianto removes the pillows propping her up, and gets her settled and covered up.

   With his main patient settled, Owen tosses a new set of scrubs at Ianto, and has him change for his own examination. Under Jack’s watchful eye, Ianto is actually in pretty good shape; a bit exhausted and dehydrated, but that is easily fixed. He watches as Ianto scoots a cot against Jeannie’s, and lays down holding her hand. They both drop off immediately.

   The two patients sleep the day away, and the night as well, with Ianto waking up first the following morning. He grabs a quick shower, and then trots out to get himself and Jeannie brunch; she will certainly be hungry when she wakes up.

   When Owen enters the treatment room later that morning, he finds both of them finishing up their food, and both looking remarkably recovered. He expected that with Ianto, his problems were much less severe than Jeannie’s, but Jeannie…she should _not_ be looking that good a mere 24 hours after being rescued from being a lab rat.

   Owen has them stay in the room while he goes to find Jack. 

   In his office, Jack is watching the CCTV display for the treatment thoughtfully. He sees the perplexed look on Owen’s face when he leaves the room, and prepares for the brief he is about to receive.

   In Jack’s office, Owen lays it all out for him, detailing how Jeannie is in much better shape than she should be, based on what she was like the previous day. Ianto is completely normal, and just needs decent food and lots of rest. Yesterday, Jeannie would have required a good deal more than that to completely recover; now, her prognosis is similar to Ianto’s. Owen asks Jack if he know of any aliens that recover that quickly, and gets a negative headshake.

   “So they’re both healthy? No cybertech detected? Aside from Jeannie’s rapid recovery, of course.”

   “Yeah; they are both sleeping again right now; give them a few days, then I’ll check them over again, and clear them for work.”

   “Thanks Owen.” 


	5. Knowledge

After his update from Owen, Jack considers the situation a bit. Here he has a pair of refugees from London…and a rather large mess to clear up where they came from. He does believe that they had nothing to do with the Ghost Shifts; Jeannie, after all, was unconscious most of the time, and Ianto was her faithful…guardian? Watchdog? Who knows what he USED to be, it was fairly obvious that he was now a great deal more to her.

Jack shakes his head to clear it a bit, and then calls for a meeting in the boardroom to discuss the possibilities for their two newest members. He stops himself for a moment as he realizes that he has already decided to hire them both, come what may.

Once everyone has gathered in the boardroom, Jack looks at each person present, making eye contact with each one. He introduces Ianto as their new archivist, with Jeannie as his assistant, or whatever else needs doing that she is capable of. He tells Tosh to set them both up with accounts on Mainframe, along with keycards, and necessary keys to get into the Hub. Owen, he knows, already has a medical profile for both of them, so nothing to say there. The only thing he asks of Owen is to let him know when Ianto and Jeannie are able to start training for the field; even if neither of them ever goes on a field mission, they still need to be able to defend themselves if the Hub is breeched.

 

3 months later…

Time passed, as it always does, with busy days as the two newest team members were integrated into the team. Owen checked Jeannie’s blood every week to get an idea of how she was changing, creating a chart to graph how her DNA changed from human to…whatever she was becoming. She kept a journal annotating the new things that she could do, and kept Owen updated.

Ianto and Jeannie chose to set themselves up in one of the larger storerooms instead of finding a flat or house. They both had plenty of time to dedicate to getting it ‘just right’ for the two of them, ensuring ample living space for both. Jack just quirked an eyebrow at the thought of company in the Hub, and helped them with the installation of needed appliances, plumbing, and electrical fittings.

While outfitting the apartment, the three became quite close. They spent many hours together, chatting, learning…flirting… 

When dark markings began appearing on Jeannie’s skin (see note at end), Jack realized what species she was becoming, excitedly calling a meeting to share the news. He had Ianto scout through the archives for any and everything regarding ‘Phela’ that he could find.

Once everyone had been seated in the boardroom, Jack stood up to address them. Indicating the folders in front of them, he told them about this race of beings known only as ‘Phela’. By the time he was born, they were extinct, their planet a barren husk. But Jeannie’s skin markings and blossoming abilities indicated that this is what she was becoming. “Nothing bad,” he says. “All of the Phela that I ever heard about were good; every race has its bad apples, but they were mostly good. One thing I do remember is a myth: that the Phela would return.”

Jeannie, after thinking about this for a few minutes while reading through the folder that was placed in front of her, sighs. “At least they look like tattoos; I would hate to have to wear a full-body suit all the time!” Everyone chuckled at her comment.

Jack looks at Suzie, “whatcha got on that glove research? Figured out anything yet?”

Suzie looks excited, and her eyes are shining. “Jack! It resurrects! Not for long, but with practice, I think I could get it to go longer. Maybe even permanently!”

Jack frowns a bit, looking unsure. “I don’t know if we really want to do that; everlasting life is not all that it is cracked up to be.” He sighs, and then looks at Suzie again. “You have 2 more days, then I’m locking it away; you’re getting obsessed by it, and that’s never good.”

Jeannie and Ianto share a look during this conversation. Jeannie quietly states, “The veil between the living and the dead is there for a reason; anything that circumvents it is likely to weaken it. Personally, my main fear has always been zombies; I don’t want anything happening that might even conceivably make that fear a reality!” Jeannie looks Suzie in the eye, “Besides, Jack is right. The glove is changing you, I can see it.” Her voice takes on a strange quality. “You must release it, before its hold upon you becomes too great to break, and it drags you down into the dark with it.” Jeannie shakes her head, and looks around the table. Solemn stares meet her gaze; this is the first time that the rest of the team has seen any of her abilities in use. Suzie feels a chill go down her spine, and shivers. Glancing at Jack, and then looking back at Jeannie, she says, “Lock it up. Better yet, destroy it; you’re right, I can feel it calling me even now. Thank you Jeannie.”

Jeannie gives Suzie a small smile; Jack wraps up the meeting, and heads to his office to slog through some of the never-ending paperwork piled on his desk. Ianto heads to the kitchen to brew a round of coffee, while Jeannie follows Jack. Suzie heads to her workbench, gathers the glove and knife, and then takes them both to Jack’s office, where they are placed in a lead-lined secure container. They’ll figure out how to destroy it once Suzie has had a few days without its insidious voice polluting her mind. Tosh settles at her computer, to continue tweaking the rift-prediction programme, while Owen starts his monthly inventory.

15 minutes later, with fresh cups of caffeine in everyone’s hands, work around the Hub continues.

Jeannie is settled onto the small couch in Jack’s office, with a PDA containing all of the information he and Ianto have been able to gather on the Phela. 

The Phela are shape-shifters, and were confused in the past with were cats, due to their alternate form being feline. Their primary form seems to be humanoid, with a shift to feline happening if stressed or upset. It is unknown whether they can control the shifts, or even if they retain their intelligence once shifted. 

They appear to be long-lived and fast healers. Their similarity to humans is uncanny; the only noticeable difference being their hair. The hair appears to be fur instead of normal hair, and it seems to be the same color when they shift to feline.

Jeannie closes the file, a frown wrinkling the skin of her forehead. She looks up at Jack. “So, I’m a cat. This could be cool, I suppose. Not like I can do anything about it, so I may as well enjoy it, yeah?” Jack looks up at her, and grins, his eyes sparkling. “Yep! So many things that we can do with fur.” He grins broadly as she blushes.

 

A/N: The skin markings look quite a bit like dark black tattoos. If any of you has seen a cat that has been shaved (for surgery or whatever), you may have noticed that their skin reflects their fur-color to a certain extent. Where the fur is dark, so is the skin; where it is light, the skin is pink. I am using this to put ‘highlights’ on Jeannie, as part of the Phela race. Where the markings are translate as black fur when she shifts.


	6. Sex Gas Pt 1

The sun had been down for a couple of hours when the rift opened up in the sky above, spitting out a smallish meteorite. The team scrambled out to the SUV, then sped to the crash site, discovering that the Army had already arrived, and cordoned off the area. Gathering their kits together, Jack, Ianto, Tosh, and Owen went through the barricades. Ianto stayed back to talk with the commander, while the others proceeded to the site for samples. After smoothing their ruffled feathers, Ianto politely thanked the commander, and then went to help the others. As he was descending the embankment, his feet slipped out from under him, and he tumbled down to the bottom, right into Owen. Owen’s chisel, which he had just grabbed from his kit, went flying in an arc, and smashed a small hole in the surface of the meteorite; a pinkish gas swirled out of the hole, hovered for a moment, and then quickly flew away through the darkness. Ianto closed his eyes in mortification, swallowing thickly at his own clumsiness, and waited for Jack’s reprimand.

Jack, knowing what is going through Ianto’s mind, just shakes his head, asking, “You’re not hurt, are you? That was quite a rough tumble.” Opening his eyes and sighing, Ianto replies, “No broken bones, just a slight loss of dignity. Can’t believe I fell! We should get back, and see if we can figure out what it was, yeah?”

With that comment, the team gathered the rest of their samples, and headed to the SUV for the trip back to the Hub.

Suzie and Jeannie had used the Torchwood satellite to track the gas once it left the site, and had followed it to the clubbing district where it made a home for itself inside a young woman in an alley. They watched the CCTV of the woman entering a nearby club while the facial recognition software looked for a match. By the time the team returned, a match had been found: Police Constable Gwen Cooper. 

A 999 call was made from the club manager, indicating that there was an attack of some kind in the club; the club had been shut down, and the scene secured by the local constabulary by the time Torchwood arrived. The manager showed them the pile of dust on the floor, and then allowed them to view the CCTV footage of the incident. Quickly retconning the manager, they took the footage, and returned to the Hub to regroup and decided what they were going to do next. With very little to be accomplished while the programs ran, Jack kicked the team out for the night, with orders to be ready for a long day tomorrow.

Jack, Ianto, and Jeannie settled down in the apartment sitting room, chatting about the case. A bit of teasing was thrown Ianto’s way for tripping over his own toes, to which he responded with a well-known hand-gesture. Retreating to less volatile subjects, the trio consumed their dinner, and then went off to bed.

Jack, Ianto, and Jeannie went to PC Cooper’s place of residence the following morning, after ascertaining that she had neglected to show up for her shift that day; Ianto waited in the alley near the fire escape, while the other two knocked on the door to the flat. The door opened a crack, and Jack introduced himself with a blinding grin, trying to charm his way in. Cooper’s eyes widened and she bolted for the fire-escape, landing in Ianto’s arms with a grunt. Ianto immediately sedates her, then scoops her up and heads for the SUV, where he meets the other two.

Now ensconced in a cell, PC Cooper is screeching about how they can’t do this, and she has rights, and what the hell is going on? Jack enters her sight, and says, “You’ve been possessed by a sex-crazed alien; sit tight, and you’ll be okay. Once we figure out how to separate you from the alien, we’ll let you go.” She was less than thrilled at this pronouncement, and let her displeasure be known, at great volume. Jack sighed, and then went back upstairs. He informed the team that no one was to go down there except him, as the alien was exuding strong pheromones that might draw them in, which would be a death warrant. He appeared to be somewhat immune, as he had his own pheromones, and should be a bit safer. The team agreed, this being a sensible precaution.

Her gaze taking in each of her team-mates, Jeannie says, “I can find out what we need to do to save her…if she can be saved. Save both of them.” Her eyes meet Jack’s seriously, “But I have to touch her skin. I can see her possibilities if I can touch her skin.”

Jack shakes his head. “You have to touch her? That means that you will be vulnerable to her, and I am not willing to risk you.”

Jeannie meets his gaze serenely, “You’ll be there to pull me out; besides, skin contact is skin contact, be it via lips or fingers; I’ll see her possibilities either way. And anyway, did you forget that I’m not human anymore?” Jeannie flexes her hand, small sharp claws extending from underneath her fingernails to tap on the table.

The rest of the team watches on, with Owen grabbing his PDA to make a note in Jeannie’s record about claws. Ianto wears a slightly worried look, but trusts that Jack will keep her safe, and Jeannie is quite capable of defending herself if need be. Tosh and Suzie are monitoring the possessed woman’s cries of anger as they segue into sobs of despair as she weakens.

Jeannie says, “We’re running out of time, Jack. We need to go now, or we’ll lose them both for sure.”

Jack looks hard into Jeannie’s eyes, and then shares a speaking look with Ianto before nodding. They both stand up, and head for the cells. Right before they enter the hallway which holds Cooper’s cell, Jeannie stops, and takes a deep breath, showing the first sign of uncertainty that Jack has seen since this whole debacle started. “Are you sure?” He asks gently. Nodding her head decisively, Jeannie squares her shoulders, and opens the door.

Jack has his Webley out, hanging loosely from his hand by his side. They arrive at the cell, and Jack punches in the code, standing back to allow Jeannie room to enter the cell. He leans back against the far wall, watching attentively as Jeannie slowly walks towards Cooper’s shuddering form. Cooper suddenly stills, her green eyes glittering up at Jeannie through her disheveled fringe. She slowly stands, and the pheromone levels in the cell rise dramatically. Jeannie sniffs the air disdainfully; “Sorry sweetheart, those don’t work on me.” Cooper lunges forward with a shout, and Jeannie grapples with her until she manages to get her hand around the back of Cooper’s neck, wrapped snugly around the nape, and they both stop. Breathing heavily, Jeannie suddenly detaches herself, and jumps back through the open cell door, slamming it shut again. Jack gathers her in his arms after holstering his firearm, soothing her trembling.

Once she has calmed a bit, they both return to the boardroom to discuss what she ‘saw’.


	7. Sex Gas Pt 2

Ianto has a fresh round of coffee waiting for them when they arrive back in the boardroom, and Jeannie settles into her seat while wrapping her fingers around the warm mug. She keeps her eyes trained upon the creamy liquid, while her brow is wrinkled in a small frown as she assimilates what she ‘saw’.

The team returns their seats quietly, giving her the time she so obviously needs. When Jack gently lays his hand upon her forearm, she raises her eyes, glancing around the room with an unfocussed gaze. Taking a deep breath, and then releasing it slowly, she starts to speak. 

“I was right; she is losing the battle to stay alive. Pressure is building in her that can only be released through mutual sexual release with a partner of the opposite sex. I can coax the entity to leave her, and enter into me; while it is traveling from her body to mine, Jack needs to throw the portable containment unit under it; we cannot save the entity, but we can save the woman.” Catching Jack’s eyes with hers, Jeannie continues. “Jack needs to give Cooper a small dose of his energy, to ensure she survives the transfer.” Taking another deep breath, Jeannie continues: “After the entity is destroyed in the containment field, we need to incinerate the remains to ensure that it can no longer pose a threat. Cooper will need a day or two for recuperation, and then we have two choices. Remove her memory, or offer her a job.”

Silence reigns for a few moments, and then Jack sighs. “Okay. That sounds like a plan. Ianto, please get me that containment unit. No time like the present to wrap this up.”

Two hours later…

With PC Cooper lightly sedated, and resting comfortably in one of the small treatment room beds, the team shuts down the hub for the night. The destruction of the entity had gone off without a hitch, and the team shared a celebratory drink before going home for the night. 

With an alarm set to alert them to PC Cooper’s movements, the three Hub residents relaxed in their living room, cuddled on the couch. Jeannie is pensive; Jack is aware that she did not tell them everything that she ‘saw’, and suspects that she is about to reveal the remainder, now that it is just them. He was correct.

“She will choose to join Torchwood, and she will have two paths that she can follow from that point. She will either remain with her current boyfriend, happily married, and die of old age with her family around her; or she will die (at the same age) alone and bitter. Her choices will determine which future she lives with.”

Jeannie looks at Jack and Ianto with serious eyes. “I ‘saw’ the three of us around her when she dies on the first path, and we looked just as we do now. We were together; do you know how that could be?”

Jack looks thoughtful. “There’s a story about the Phela; when they bond with their mate, that bond links their life-forces together, so that they’re not forced to live without their soul mate.” He gives Jeannie a sharp look. “You saw all three of us?” Jeannie nods, and her eyes are shining, with a small smile upon her lips. Ianto is also smiling, realizing that the connection he has felt for both of his friends is returned. “Do you have any idea how to ‘bond’ us? I have never seen anything that gives any details, only that the bond exists,” Jack says.

Jeannie looks thoughtful. “I think I do. We’ll need some time to ourselves though.” Ianto perks up a bit; “I can reserve us a suite at the St. David’s; room-service and privacy would be guaranteed there.” Jack likes the idea. “Okay; we’ll talk to the team tomorrow, and arrange a few days off for us. Ianto, can you call UNIT in the morning, and arrange for them to be on call while we’re gone?”

Ianto nods his head in affirmation, then reminds them that they need to figure out the ‘PC Cooper problem’ before they go. They all agree then trundle off to bed to sleep for a few hours.

The next morning…

PC Cooper slept through the night, and was guided up to the boardroom by Ianto, and settled into a seat with a cup of coffee in front of her. Jack enters the room, quickly glances around the table to verify that everyone is present, and then he takes his seat.

PC Cooper looks quite wary, and keeps glancing at Jack with a slight blush. Jack ignores her looks, clapping his hands together to make sure he has everyone’s attention. “PC Cooper. I apologize that you had such a nasty experience these last couple of days; but the entity is gone, and you’re safe now. We have a position available if you want it; your skills as a constable would come in handy here. Or we can take your memories of the last couple of days; your choice.” 

Cooper now looks furious. “How dare you! You can’t do this, I am a police woman! I…” Jack rolls right over her indignant spluttering, and slaps his hands on the table…hard, making her jump. “I don’t believe I will give you a choice, after all. I doubt that you would be right for my team. Owen!” Owen quickly moves with the syringe he had stashed, and soon, PC Gwen Cooper is sleeping soundly.

Jack sighs. “Ianto…” “Yes, Sir, I know, sort out a cover-up for the two missing days our intrepid PC now has.” Jack grins at him happily; he knows that he will get the cover-up taken care of quickly since the three of them have a ‘date’ at the St. David’s this evening. Jeannie snickers, and shakes her head. “So, Owen, Tosh, and Suzie: Jack, Ianto, and I will be taking three days off, and will be unreachable while we sort some personal matters. We have arranged for UNIT to be available if you need assistance while we are gone.

All eyes turn to stare at Jack; he says, simply, “We are going to initiate a mate-bond between the three of us.” The curiosity turns to shock. The playboy Captain is going to settle down?! Of course, it’s not a bad thing, just a bit unexpected. Tosh looks thrilled, and congratulates them. Suzie looks happy as well, joining Tosh, and Owen just nods his head.

While all of the minutiae of wrapping up a case continues on around him, Jack reflects on the fact that Jeannie had said that Cooper would join Torchwood. He shoots a speculative in her direction, thinking that perhaps she missed a timeline. Shaking his head, he doubts this very much. Time will tell, he decides, and smiling softly at his future mates, he grabs his greatcoat for their short vacation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Next up is the bonding ceremony.


	8. Back at Work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The canon timeline will be jumbled up a bit to suit my needs for the story. Some episodes will be ignored completely, while others will have bits used here and there.

The thin light of dawn was creeping through the curtains when the lovers stirred on their final morning. Feeling warm and safe, they stretched, and then curled back around each other to enjoy the quiet while it lasted; today they go back to the Hub, and the apocalypse of the week.

Jack's wrist strap beeped quietly, telling them that it was time to grab a shower and check out; the vacation is over, but they are not overly upset. What happened in the past three days could not be undone, and they have forever to do anything they feel like doing. But right now, Torchwood needs them, and they will always be there.

 

The three mates enter the hub via the invisible lift, arms tangled together while they laugh at some dry comment made by Ianto. Once it hits the bottom, Ianto disentangles himself and heads for the kitchen; coffee is very much desired by himself and his new mates. He stops for a moment to savor the thought of never being alone again; he feels a gentle stroke go over his mind, and he returns it happily.

The heavy round door rolls open, with its usual loud pomp and ceremony, to admit the three remaining team members. Tosh notices that their leader and his new mates are already there, and rushes into the kitchen to hug Ianto. Pulling back, she looks him over, noticing that he looks well-rested and happy. He smiles at her, handing her a cup of coffee, and then placing the remaining mugs on the ever-present silver tray, he makes his way into the Hub proper. Owen looks up blearily as he reaches for his mug, giving a half-hearted "Ta, Ianto," while Suzie smirks as she gives him a once-over. "I see that you're still in one piece." Ianto blushes, and turns towards Jack's office to deliver the remaining cups of nectar.

The morning greetings thus completed, Torchwood 3 begins its day. Suzie follows along behind Ianto into the office a few minutes later to give her brief on the activities of the past three days. Nodding to Ianto and Jeannie, she begins. "Cooper was hanging about the water tower; the retcon is probably breaking. We decided to let her stew until you lot returned, and just didn't use the lift or the tourist office." Jack looks pensive. Glancing at his mates, he says, "We came in on the lift this morning; no sign of her hanging around. Suggestions?" Suzie's lips tighten a bit. "I say we bring her in, show her around. See if she's calmed down enough to actually listen to us. If not, well, that wasn't the strongest dose of retcon."

Suzie watches Jack share long looks with Ianto and Jeannie; the expressions crossing the faces of all three indicate that a conversation is happening. She puts that thought aside for discussion later when Jack lets out a loud breath of air. "Okay, when she shows up again, escort her down to the boardroom. Ianto will get refreshments, and we'll chat with her." Nodding in agreement, Suzie leaves the office, and heads for the medical bay to discuss her suspicions regarding their boss and his new mates with Owen.

Tosh's head shoots up. "Jack! She's back," pointing to the monitor. "Okay people, it's time to see if PC Gwen Cooper can handle this a second time. Owen, in case she can't, get an injection with the next higher dose of retcon ready, and stand by with it." Owen nods, and having already done that, heads for the boardroom. Suzie takes the lift up once everyone is gathered around the table, with fresh cups of coffee for all.

 

On the Plass

Suzie watches Cooper roam around for a few minutes before she steps off of the paving slab. Cooper spins around, startled. "Where did you come from?" "I was just there." She points to the slab. "I've been sent to bring you in; over here, we won't hurt you." Watching Suzie's encouraging smile, Cooper slowly makes her way to the slab; when it starts moving, she screams, grabbing onto Suzie for balance. She looks around the cavernous entrance with wide eyes, still holding Suzie tightly. Quietly chuckling, Suzie guides the woman off of the slab and up to the boardroom.

Cooper stops in the doorway, looking at each person gathered around the table. "I've been here before. But then you did something to me to make me forget. Why did you do that?"

Jack says, "Have a seat PC Cooper." She sits in the designated chair, still looking around a bit apprehensively. "Police Constable Gwen Elizabeth Cooper, you've been with the Heddlu for two years. You live with your boyfriend, Rhys Williams, who is a manager at Harwood's Haulage. You have a fairly spotty record, but have been given second chances to prove yourself in the investigative field. The question is, would you fit in here?" Jack waves his hand around the boardroom, "With such a small team, you understand that we have to have the right fit, otherwise we'll fail. And that just can't happen. The future of the planet, and of humanity, depends upon us doing our jobs the right way, the first time." During this recital, Jack's eyes never left hers; she looks around at the people sitting with her before meeting Jack's gaze. "I would like to work here, yes."

Clapping his hands together, Jack looks at his team. "Okay, let's get Miss Cooper set up; Ianto: I believe she has a thick stack of paperwork to fill out. Jeannie: if you could help him, that would be great. Tosh: set her up with a probationary account and keycard. Suzie: set up a time for her to meet you on the range. Owen: set up a medical file, and give her the physical and immunizations." Looking around the table at his team, Jack gave his mega-watt grin. "The rift looks quiet today, so we should be able to get most of that done."

Gwen hesitantly says, "Mr. Harkness? What will you be doing with me?" Jack looks at her. "First off, it's not 'Mr. Harkness'. It's Jack, boss, take your pick. Not 'sir' though. The honor of using that title goes to my gorgeous mate, Ianto." Gwen looks shocked. She looks at Ianto, whose high cheekbones are slightly pink, and narrows her eyes. Jeannie, noticing her reaction, narrows her own eyes. "Miss Cooper. Allow me to welcome you to Torchwood; I believe that Jack has neglected to introduce you properly to the team: Suzie Costello, second-in-command, and weapons' specialist." Suzie nods at her before leaving. "Toshiko Sato, all-around technical genius. She hasn't found a computer system she can't hack." Tosh blushes, and gives a little wave before leaving. "Dr. Owen Harper; he's a snarky bastard, but he is one awesome doctor." Owen smirks at Jeannie before waving at Gwen on his way out the door. "Ianto Jones; he is our archivist. He is a jack-of-all-trades that knows more about Torchwood, and the Hub, than even Jack." Ianto chuckles warmly at Jeannie's pronouncement before nodding politely. "Then you have me: I'm Jeannie Crandle. I help out wherever it's needed. Ianto and I are also Jack's mates; we live here, in a storeroom that we converted into an apartment." Gwen gasps at Jeannie's comment about being Jack's mates. "So, you both are his friends then?" "When I said 'mates', I didn't mean that type of mate. We are life-bonded soul mates. We're a triad; while that is not common in this day and age, it works for us." Jeannie smiles brightly. "So, Ianto and I have a forest or two for you to fill out." With that said, Ianto hands over the first of many forms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am usually one or two chapters ahead of posting, so if any of you have questions or suggestions, please review, or PM me. Thanks!


	9. The Way It Is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Red Shoe Kitty is awesome. Thanks for the favorites and reviews.
> 
> I tend to be 1-2 chapters ahead on writing; once I get them back for my beta's grubby little paws, I post them.

It had been a quiet week for Torchwood; the rift seemed to be sleeping, and the weevils were staying in their sewers. This allowed the team to catch up on the mountain of paperwork that always played second fiddle when the faeces was hitting the fan, much to Jack's sorrow. His pile was always the biggest, even with his mates looking through all of it to lessen his workload. Having a new, and apparently adoring, team member wasn't really helping much. Although, it did allow her to learn the systems enough so that she would at least recognize the programs.

Deciding that they work-day was over, Jack stood up and went to lean on the railing outside his office. "Okay team; wrap it up, go home, get drunk, whatever. Enjoy a nice peaceful night off; we'll call you in if the world ends." He watches as the team grabs their gear and runs out; an early night is not normal for Torchwood, so they are definitely going to make the most of it.

A couple of hours later, the mates are sitting around the table in the board room, having relocated there to work on Jack's paperwork, when Ianto heads down to make another round of coffee and order dinner. He is roaming around the base of the water tower when the door to the garage opens silently and Gwen enters. Looking at her quizzically, he says, to her shocked countenance, "Was there something you needed Gwen?" "Ianto! What are you doing here? I needed to talk to Jack." Feeling a shiver come through the bond, he glances up at the board room and shakes his head. "Sorry, he's a bit occupied at the moment; anything I can do for you?" Huffing in annoyance, Gwen looks at the board room window, and her jaw drops. Jack has Jeannie pressed up against the glass, her legs wrapped around his waist, and his hips grinding against hers while they kiss messily.

Ianto sighs quietly. "Gwen, this is our time; we live here, together. The whole team knows this, Jeannie even told you about this, so why are you acting so surprised?" Gwen's mouth snaps shut as her cheeks flush. She turns around, and leaves the same way she came in.

Looking back up at the window, Ianto shakes his head in amusement…and maybe a little lust…and then heads up to the tourist office to retrieve their dinner.

While they eat, Ianto mentions Gwen's appearance, which has Jack rolling his eyes, and Jeannie grumbling, "She needs to realize what she has at home, and stop mooning over you, Jack!" Jack agrees. "I'll talk with her in the morning; now, can we get this done? I wanna go to bed." Jack bats his eyelashes playfully, sending a caress out along the bond and making his mates shiver.

The following morning…

 

As soon as Gwen puts her bag away at her desk, Jack calls her into his office. Looking thrilled, she tugs her blouse down a little further, and then rushes up the stairs, her breath catching when he closes the door behind her. He waves her into the chair in front of his desk, and then settles into his own chair, he steeples his fingers in front of his chin while he regards her solemnly. Taking in her attire and expression, he sighs. "Gwen, I am taken. I am a very happily mated man, and my mates are getting fed up with how you act around me. I'm getting fed up with how you act around me! You have great instincts for this job; I can see you becoming a very great asset to this team, but if you don't remember what you have at home, and stop trying to lure me in, you're gone!" Jack's lips press together into a thin line as he gives her a serious look.

Gwen gasps, and then looks down at her tightly clasped hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize exactly what she meant when she said that." Jack sits up in his chair, placing his folded hands on the desk in front of him. "Bull! I watched the CCTV recording of that conversation, and Jeannie very clearly stated that we are a triad, life-mated and soul-bonded. Get it together Gwen. I like you, but I will cut you loose if I have to." Her eyes a bit damp, she nods, and goes back to her desk.

Jeannie and Ianto come in quietly from the back entrance, and he lays his head against Ianto's stomach tiredly, wrapping his arms around his waist. "I hate conversations like that," he sighed. Ianto, gently running his fingers through Jack's hair, snorts. Jeannie massages his neck and shoulders, saying, "I think it's about time to tell her about me. Have retcon handy if she reacts badly, but we need to tell her about me." Jeannie chews on her lip thoughtfully. "Then I can tell her what I 'saw' in the cell that night." Jack and Ianto share a look, and then both turn to face Jeannie, wrapping their arms around her. As the three cuddle, Gwen watches them, and her eyes widen in understanding.

After the detritus from lunch is cleared away, Jeannie asks Gwen to stay behind for a talk. Feeling put-upon, Gwen snaps, "What?! The other two already had their say, now you've gotta have yours too, is that it?" Raising an eyebrow, Jeannie replies, "Not at all; my boys know how to take care of themselves quite well, they don't need me for that. This is something else; now if you are quite finished with your tantrum, please be seated." Huffing in annoyance, Gwen seats herself across from Jeannie; folding her hands on the table in front of herself, she looks at Jeannie expectantly. "I'm going to give you some of my history. I feel that it's time for you to know more about me. I'm not human anymore." Gwen's eyes widen in shock. "Anymore?" Jeannie nods, her gaze never leaving Gwen's. "I was born human, and then the rift took me. The creatures on the other side changed me, and then I escaped to Torchwood London." Jeannie shudders as she remembers. "That wasn't really much of an escape; but Ianto got me out of there and then brought me here. Since then, the changes seem to have completed. But that's a story for another day; for now, all you need to know is that when I touch someone, I can 'see' their possibilities. I can 'see' where they'll end up, along with the high points of their lives while they get there. I can 'see' when a decision will cause them to detour from that path. I 'looked' at your possibilities when you were in that cell, Gwen." Gwen's mouth hangs open for a few moments before snapping shut. "So, you're an alien?" Jeannie replies calmly, "If, by 'alien' you mean non-human DNA, then yes. But think about that part later, right now I need to tell you what I 'saw'." Gwen thinks about this for a moment. "Okay then, what did you see?"

Jeannie, realizing that Gwen doesn't really believe what she is hearing, continues anyway. "You have two paths that you're most likely to take; both will lead to a long life, dying of old age. But they differ in the way you get to that age. In one, you're happy, surrounded by your family: children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and close friends. In the other, you die alone, disowned by your family, with no friends. A choice you make now, in this part of your life, is what will determine which future you get: the happiness, or the loneliness. That decision involves you embracing your boyfriend, and forgetting about the other people you find yourself attracted to. I can't make the decision for you, only you can do that, but I really hope that you choose long-term happiness, not a short-term itch-scratcher."

Gwen looks to be in deep shock at what she has just heard. Jeannie stands up and, squeezing Gwen's shoulder gently, turns and leaves the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are wonderful, and allow me to answer questions about the story, and about the characters as I see them.


	10. Shifting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be the only chapter that has a bit of Gwen’s POV in it, since I go in phases of liking her and hating her. It is only in the first part, the rest is back to the overall POV.

Gwen remained seated in the board room for quite awhile; the words that Jeannie had said were trotting along through her mind while she considered the bits of Jeannie’s past that had been revealed. Jeannie was an alien…wow! Having read the Torchwood charter, she seemed to remember something in there about ‘If it’s alien, it’s ours’ or some such thing, but she didn’t think that Jack ran his branch of Torchwood that way. Hmmmm. Jack. She sighs dreamily, memories of Jack’s kiss flowing through her mind’s eye. Shaking her head, she realizes that the kiss had been given, not out of desire, but out of a need to help her live. To help her be strong enough to survive the alien gas that had possessed her. Gwen sighs again, looking out the plate glass wall at the team. She sees Tosh tapping away at her keyboard, working on one of her many projects, while Ianto is smirking at Suzie. Suzie laughs at him before turning back to her workbench, and the tech waiting there for her. Jeannie is smiling gently at Jack while he leans back in his chair and leers at her. Suddenly, the scene she had wandered into the night before runs through Gwen’s mind. She sees that Ianto had not been jealous at all of what was happening in the board room; he did, in fact, seem to be possessive. Gwen decides, after deep thought, to believe what Jeannie told her. For now, anyway. Taking a bracing breath, Gwen rises from her seat and stretches, and then heads back down to her station to complete some of her paperwork.

Jeannie’s sharp eyes make note of Gwen’s appearance at her desk; she also sees that Gwen seems to be reconciled to what was said. Time will tell; teaching new tricks to old dogs is hard sometimes, but she knows that Gwen is capable. What she ‘saw’ tells her as much. Jeannie will make sure that team supports her in this, as they are all her friends…or will be, anyway.

That evening…

The rift remaining quiet, and the rest of team banished barring an apocalypse, the three are in the gym while Jeannie attempts her first shift. Feeling her mates’ encouragement and support along their bond, she concentrates on what she thinks she should look like. After a little while, Jeannie is getting frustrated, growling quietly, and her mates gather her into their arms. Jack says, “Maybe you’re going about it the wrong way.” Jeannie turns her gaze to Jack, glaring at him. Jack, realizing that she is misunderstanding him, hastens to add, “Maybe you have to shift the first time by accident; then you’ll know how it actually feels, and can work on it that way.” Her glare softening, Jeannie sighs. “But I wanna do it now!” She whines. She closes her eyes, and buries her nose in Jack’s throat, sniffing appreciatively, his pheromones calming her somewhat. Ianto nuzzles her neck, sending out waves of warmth and love along their bond to her while he contemplates the latest issue to befall them. Jeannie is soon purring quietly, feeling cocooned by the love emanating from her mates.

Jack’s wrist strap beeps, alerting them to rift activity, and they all jump a bit. Playtime is obviously over for now, so they run up to the main level to see what came through. Upon arrival at Tosh’s station, Jack settles down into her seat while he scrolls through the data on the screen, with his mates standing behind him. As they look on, Jack analyzes the spike, which turns out to be a large one, indicating that it is most likely a ship. Jack signals the rest of the team to stand by for pick-up, and has Tosh come to the Hub to coordinate their movements; once she arrives, the three take off in the SUV to pick up Owen, Gwen, and Suzie.

Tosh leads them to the outskirts of Cardiff; an abandoned factory appears to be the crash-site of a small ship. Tosh warns them that the programme also indicated the presence of at least one biological life form, and to be careful. The ship is in one piece, but is smoking heavily; after scans show the area in the vicinity of the ship to be clear of danger, Jack goes to the ship’s airlock with Jeannie and Ianto flanking him. Owen and Gwen fan out to either side of the ship, while Suzie stays back, continuing to scan the area. When the trio is about 50 feet from the entrance, the airlock door blows outward and hits him hard, knocking him down. Ianto and Jeannie immediately drop into a crouch; they keep their weapons aimed at the airlock and wait for him to recover. When he doesn’t move right away, Ianto and Jeannie look at each other; they can still feel him through their bond, so he’s just unconscious. The appearance of a large scaly alien stumbling out of the now-open airlock garners their attention; it is waving some type of energy weapon about. An indiscriminate shot hits Ianto; killing him instantly and leaving him with a large hole in his chest. Jeannie sees red, yowls in anger and grief, and shifts into a large cat with golden-red brindled fur, sharp claws, and long fangs. The alien sees this, and starts to aim at her before he is killed by a timely head-shot from Owen. Gwen, who had rushed over to Jack’s still form, was trying desperately to move the heavy door when Jeannie shifted. Gwen chokes in shock, but is suddenly distracted by Jack starting to struggle under the door. He felt Ianto die, and that gives him a huge adrenaline rush which allows him to throw the door with a scream of rage at the alien. Struggling to his feet, he sees a large cat crouched protectively over Ianto’s body, snarling at everyone, luminous green eyes flashing. Making note of the now-dead alien, Jack calms down a bit; he can already feel Ianto starting to come back, so he slowly moves towards what can only be his beautiful Jeannie. Sending out waves of love, calm, and admiration, he approaches her snarling form and runs his fingers through the silky fur behind her ears. She nuzzles his hand, “He’s coming back; he died, but he’s coming back. Isn’t he?” Jeannie’s mental voice is fearful, and Jack wraps his arms around her neck in joy. “Yeah, he’s coming back, I can feel it. Gods, but you are so beautiful like this. Ianto is going to love it!” He sends a mental picture to her of all three of them in their bed, with Cat-Jeannie in the middle. Jeannie rewards him with by butting her head up against his side, and then licks a long stripe up his neck, and the side of his face.

Gwen is sitting by the destroyed door, staring at the Captain; she agrees that Jeannie is quite a sight to see; standing tall, her shoulders probably came up to Jack’s hips, and she had a long striped tail. Her eyes go impossibly wide when she sees Ianto revive; intellectually she had known that he would, but seeing it was still a shock.

Ianto jerks awake, sucking in a loud lung-full of air while he thrashes in pain. Jeannie lies down next to him, allowing him to bury his face and fingers in her fur while he recovers; Jack is also right there, pulling Ianto into his arms for comfort. The three huddle together for several minutes. 

Meanwhile, Owen and Suzie clear the ship; the single deceased alien appeared to be the only one who actually survived the crash, with two more of the same species dead inside. They exit the ship and head over to the SUV to report their findings to Jack, while looking in awe at Jeannie.

Jack helps Ianto to stand; with Jack on one side, an arm wrapped around his waist for support, and Jeannie on the other using her weight to help keep him upright, the trio move back to the SUV where they get Ianto settled into the backseat with Jeannie half in his lap. Jack chuckles at this, and scratches her ears, causing her to purr quietly; when Ianto’s fingers join Jack’s, the purring amps up in contentment. Jack sighs, and waves to Suzie, gesturing that she should begin her report. Once the report is finished, Jack tells her to take Gwen into the ship to gather the bodies for transport back to the Hub. While they are clearing the ship, Ianto makes arrangements to hire a lorry (sans driver) to get the ship back later on, while Jack places a portable perception filter on it for now.

Ianto is feeling much better by the time they return to the Hub; by this time, it is gone 3AM, and Jack tells the team to go back home, they can do their reports on the incident tomorrow. Owen gives Ianto a quick once-over, clearing him, and then looks dubiously at Jeannie. Jack, noticing the look, says, “Not now Owen; go home!” 

With the Hub to themselves again, the triad go to their apartment and curl up on the bed together once Jack and Ianto strip. Jeannie’s furry form is lying in between them; Jack snickers a bit when he realizes that the image he had sent to Jeannie was now a reality.


	11. Illumination

Jeannie lay on the bed with her mates on either side of her; her chin was resting on her furry paws while they softly combed their fingers through the brindled fur on her sides. Softly, Jack said, “These dark markings are the same as before you shifted.” He traces the three black lines that outline her ribs. Ianto also examines the markings, skipping his fingers down her spine while she arches in pleasure. Both Jack and Ianto chuckle at her reaction while she gazes at them playfully. Jack yelps when she rolls over suddenly, finding himself with a rather large feline laying on him with her paws waving the air. Ianto laughs uproariously at Jack’s reaction while taking advantage of the silky fur on Jeannie’s belly being available.

Sometime later, the mates are done playing and are trying to figure out how to shift back. Jeannie joins her mind with Jack and Ianto’s, trusting them to know how she ‘feels’ when in human form, and she is not disappointed. Shortly thereafter, Jeannie transforms, a cloud of sparkling golden energy surrounding her. Exhausted from the hectic evening, the mates grab a quick shower, and then curl around one another to sleep.

Early A.M of the next morning…

The mates are languishing in their living room enjoying the first cup of the day when the intercom squawks at them. Jack presses the button indicating that he is listening, and Owen snarks, “If her royal furriness is available, I want to run some tests.” Rolling his eyes, Jack acknowledges Owen, indicating that they will be up shortly. Jeannie is snorting at Owen’s wording, her face buried in Ianto’s neck while he just shakes his head. They finish their coffee and do a quick rinse on the mugs before they dress for the day. Heading up the tunnel to the main Hub, the trio goes their separate ways once they enter the main room, with Jeannie heading over to become a ‘pin-cushion’, as she refers to it, while Ianto brews a pot of nectar for the ravening hordes to descend upon once they arrive. Jack settles himself at the railing overlooking the medical bay; after all, his beautiful cat-girl might be stripping, and he certainly doesn’t want to miss the show! Smirking, he ‘sends’ an image of Jeannie, mostly naked, sprawled seductively on the autopsy table to his mates. He receives, in return, a visible scowl from Jeannie, and a mental snort from Ianto. Owen, not being a dumb man by any means, knows that something is going on mentally between them, and that it probably involves something sexual; therefore, he really doesn’t wanna know. 

Owen takes the blood and skin samples he wants, and inquires as to whether Jeannie thinks she can ¬shift again, so he can get a sample of her fur as well. Jeannie nods, and closing her eyes, she finds the place where the cat lives, and changes. Owen’s mouth is hanging open in admiration as he examines her. He makes a comment about being a veterinarian now, and receives a gentle nip to his hand for his troubles. Yanking said hand back, he lightly swats her shoulder, “Oi! Watch the fangs; I know where they’ve been, and I don’t want any!” Jack snickers at the antics below him while Jeannie looks up at him pleadingly, her ears laid back. “Okay Owen, I think you’ve antagonized the large cat enough for one day, don’t you?” to Jeannie, he says, “Yes, we really do need a doctor on the team, so no, you can’t eat this one.” Jack’s eyes are twinkling as Jeannie hops off the table and pads up the stairs to Jack’s side, nuzzling her muzzle into his hand.

The alarms over the cog door go off, indicating the arrival of at least one more team member; Jack and Jeannie migrate into the main area to greet the newcomer and discover that it is Tosh. She squeals when she sees Jeannie in cat-form, and rushes over. Burying her fingers in the fur along Jeannie’s neck, she abruptly stops, looking at both of them in concern. “Has she not been able to change back yet?” Jack laughs, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Owen wanted to see her in cat-form, so she shifted for him. She can change back just fine, but thanks for the concern.” Letting out a relieved breath, Tosh continues stroking the soft fur, while Jeannie purrs encouragement. Ianto appears, with a cup of coffee on offer for her. Taking it and giving Jeannie one last scratch behind the ears, Tosh heads over to her station to get started for the day. Owen surfaces and snags his own mug, avoiding a playful swipe of a paw on his way past; he looks back at a pair of twinkling green eyes watching him. As her mates laugh at the actions of their team mates, they head over to the sofa to enjoy their second cup of the day. Jeannie, curling up between them on the sofa, shifts back to human-form in the same sparkling golden cloud that appeared the night before. Just as she is initiating the shift, the door rolls open again to admit Gwen and Suzie; they see what is happening on the sofa, and stop to stare. Suzie, realizing that none of the others seem fazed by this, concludes that it is Jeannie. She watches with interest as her friend and team-mate changes forms. Gwen appears to be disgusted and freaked out by it; realizing that it would be a bad idea to let Jack or Ianto know how she feels about this, she quickly hides her reaction, and watches closely.

Retreating to the bathroom, Gwen sits down to think for a few minutes. Jeannie’s warning runs through her mind: “A choice you make now, in this part of your life, is what will determine which future you get: the happiness, or the loneliness.” Gwen gulps; Jeannie seems a nice enough…alien…she doesn’t go around killing or eating people, after all. Besides, this is Torchwood! Weird stuff happens on nearly a daily basis. Sighing loudly, Gwen stands up and squares her shoulders, intent upon getting over her dislike and getting the ‘happy’ future that Jeannie ‘saw’.

Gwen returned to the main part of the Hub to find that the team were gathered around the sofa, listening to Jeannie describe what it was like to shift. Apparently, no one had even noticed that she had left; Gwen sighs, quietly this time, and pulls a chair over to join them and listen.

“….just like this tingling feeling, and having a good long stretch.” Jeannie looks at the team brightly. “It feels kinda weird at first, but no doubt I’ll get used to it!” She laughs. Jack has a proud grin decorating his face, he’s obviously so happy that Jeannie has shifted for the first time. Ianto just smiles quietly while gently stroking her back in support. “And then, when I shift back, I just link with Jack and Ianto for the right path. It feels so good, like I’ve been wrapped in the softest blanket, all snug and warm.” Jeannie looks lovingly at her mates, who wrap her in their arms, burying their noses in the soft fur behind her ears. As the trio leans back comfortably, the rest of the team decides to get to work and leave the mates to themselves.


	12. Small Worlds

A week after Jeannie’s first shift, the triad was sleeping peacefully when Jack jerked out of a nightmare. Covered in a fine sheen of sweat and breathing heavily, Jack rubs his face, and then looks around the bedroom warily. Pulled from their slumber by their mate’s fear, Jeannie and Ianto wrap their arms around him soothingly, blanketing his mind with love. Jack takes a deep breath, thanking his mates for their support, and then rises from their bed to go splash some water on his face. He tenses when he sees a single rose petal laying on the counter beside the sink; a brief flashback to Lahore, India, 1902, runs through his mind, and he knows that trouble is coming.

Knowing that his mates are well aware of his continued upset, Jack returns to their bedroom to get dressed; there is no chance of more sleep, not with what he suspects is coming. Jeannie and Ianto watch Jack get dressed, and glance at each other. Coming to an unspoken agreement, they arise from the bed as well; joining their mate in the closet, they don their clothing for the day and follow him up to the main Hub. 

While Ianto brews some coffee for them, Jeannie runs out to grab some pastries; once breakfast is gathered, they take it up to Jack’s office, where he is sitting and staring into the distance. The arrival of coffee snaps him back to the present, and he smiles his gratitude at Ianto before taking a careful sip. Keeping his hands wrapped around the mug for warmth, Jack eyes his mates who are patiently waiting for him to tell them what has him so frazzled. 

“In 1902, during WW1, Torchwood allowed me to join the Army; I had command of a small group of men. We were traveling by train, and had stopped in Lahore, India for the night; while I was handling some administrative problems, my men got drunk and commandeered a truck. They ran over a young girl…and killed her. Since the train was leaving the next day, I arranged for them to spend the night on the train, so as to keep them out of any further trouble.” Jack looks down at his hands, his eyes haunted. “The next day, the men were in good spirits; I think they were so drunk that they didn’t even remember what happened. The train went into a long tunnel, and I heard what sounded like a lot of wings flapping. When the train entered the open air again, I was in a boxcar full of corpses with their mouths full of rose petals. A single being had stayed behind to warn me: it told me that my men had killed one of their ‘chosen ones’. I was spared because I was not present when the death happened.” Jack takes a shuddering breath and looks at his mates. “I think they’re back, I think they have a chosen one here in Cardiff, and wanted to let me know that they were here.” While Jack had been telling them the story, they had seen it flash by like a movie through their link; as soon as they ‘saw’ his horror at the child’s death, they had moved to be near him. Now that the story was finished, they cuddle close to him while asking if there is any way to track these creatures. Jack says, “The only thing that might work is tracking weather patterns; wherever they cause mischief, weather is involved, as they have complete control over the elements.” Ianto nods, “OK, so we can tweak one of Tosh’s programmes to give us an alert if it sees any strange weather; other than that, I say we continue with business as usual. No need to worry the team about something that might not impact us at all, yeah?” Jeannie agrees with Ianto, and snuggles further into Jack’s lap. 

Ianto is starting up the programme he was thinking of when the door alarms announce someone’s entrance; spinning the chair, he sees Tosh coming in with a large paper bag. She stops when she notices him at her station, and raises a quizzical eyebrow; “Tosh! Glad you came in early, we need to tweak this programme to alert us at any drastic changes in the weather.” Tosh’s other eyebrow joins its mate up under her fringe at Ianto’s pronouncement. “OK, I guess…am I going to find out why?” “It may be nothing; we just wanted to err on the side of caution.” Tosh nods her head agreeably, passing over the bag of goodies she brought in so that she can work her magic.

Later on that day, the programme alerts them to a problem in a local park; according to a few pedestrians that had been there at the time, the wind suddenly started blowing. Nothing else, just wind. While traveling back to the Hub, they received word that the local constabulary had a paedophile turn himself in for trying to molest a young girl in the park, the same park where the disturbance was reported. He was desperate for protection, and thought jail was the safest place to be. He was wrong; by the time Torchwood arrived, he had been tossed around the supposedly ‘safe’ cell, and suffocated with rose petals. Jack shakes his head; there is no need to take the body; what killed him wasn’t alien in nature, therefore it did not belong to them. Gwen is huffing a bit at Jack’s pronouncement, but holds her tongue until they are back at the Hub. She follows Jack into his office, demanding to know why he is ignoring something that was obviously (to her) a strange death. Jack gives Gwen a quelling look, “Enough! I am the boss here, and I say we don’t need to get involved. Now drop it.” Gwen opens her mouth to argue when Jeannie touches her lightly on the shoulder and shakes her head with a gentle smile. “Jack knows what he’s doing Gwen; the man that died was a paedophile, the gods only know how many children he scarred with his sickness; yes, he died strangely, but an alien didn’t do it.” Gwen sighs, and goes to sit at her station to look through the police reports from earlier. Jack shoots Jeannie a grateful look for coming to his rescue, and then shoots Ianto a pleading look. Ianto rolls his eyes, chuckling quietly, as he prepares the next batch of caffeinated goodness for his team.

Jack invites his mates to a talk about faeries that an old friend of his is giving that afternoon, and they leave with plans of grabbing lunch and then attending the talk. They chatter about this ‘old friend’ over lunch, and Jack tells them all about Estelle Cole, and how he had fallen in love with her during WW2, but then he was shot down and presumed dead. He indicated that he allowed her to believe he was gone, since he felt it would be better for her if she found someone who could grow old with her. He told them that he had found her again a few years ago, and had introduced himself as his own son; while he didn’t think she actually believed what he told her about his ‘father’, they still enjoyed each other’s company. Jeannie and Ianto were excited to meet this old flame of Jack’s, and to hear about the faeries; once they finished their lunch, they drove to the location of the talk. Parking on the curb, Jack leads them into the building, following the signs to the small conference room where the talk is being given; they arrive and stand in the back of the room while Estelle finishes her presentation. Once the few listeners have thanked her for her knowledge, she rushes over to greet Jack; he introduces Jeannie and Ianto as his mates, and her eyes widen as she gasps in surprise. “I’m so glad, Jack! So glad that you don’t have to be alone anymore.” She turns her twinkling eyes upon the two, and shakes their hands warmly. Jack finagles an invite to her home for the remaining photographs of Roundstone Wood, and they look over the bric-a-brac in her parlor as she gathers them together for him. Jack tells her that something bad is in town, and he would be very happy if she would forgo any further interaction with her faeries until it is safe. She shakes her head fondly, laughing at Jack’s concern, but agrees to call him if she notices anything strange. Realizing that this is the best he is going to get, Jack hugs her tightly, kissing the top of her head, and bids farewell. Ianto and Jeannie are invited to join her for tea once things settle down, and they accept the invitation graciously, promising to drag Jack around to visit more often.

Back at the Hub, Jack gives the photographs to Tosh to analyze; he’s worried about Estelle. Jeannie joins Jack in his office to tell him what she ‘saw’ when shaking Estelle’s hand: “She’s in danger; the fae intend to use her to get to you. Since they can’t kill you, they plan to kill her for the child that died in Lahore.” Jack pales and sits down abruptly. Shaking his head, he sighs. “All we can do is watch her house, and go there at the first sign of disturbance.” Jeannie lays her hand upon his arm, leaning down to kiss him lightly on the forehead, and says, “We won’t let them kill her. They’ve bitten off more than they can chew if they try to take me on.” Jack smirks, “Oh yeah? I might like to see what you can do.” Jeannie smacks him on the arm, giggling, and then leaves his office, happy that she’s leaving him in a better mood than he was in when she entered.

That evening, Jeannie had shifted and curled up on a ledge overlooking the main chamber of the Hub. Gwen and Suzie had gone out to fetch dinner for everyone, while the rest of the team worked on various tasks; the weather alert system popped up an alert window, indicating a sudden localized storm had appeared in a residential area. Tosh shouts out to let the team know, and when Jack sees the location, he pales. Jeannie, seeing through his eyes, realizes that Estelle is being taunted by the faeries, and reaches for the rift; she reappears in Estelle’s garden, hissing at the sudden downpour soaking her fur, and crouches over Estelle’s unconscious form in protection. Taking a quick look around, her hackles raise at the appearance of several sharp-toothed creatures; she growls low in her chest at them, and they cringe away from her while the rain stops. The fae watch her warily, they sense that this cat is not typical. 

Estelle splutters a bit, moaning, and Jeannie nuzzles her head gently is reassurance before she springs at the closest faerie, pinning it to the ground. It tries to escape, but is frustrated when its magic fails it, and glares at the snarling face that is hovering over it. Jeannie is snarling in rage that the fae attacked an innocent, especially one that had supported the fae for decades; sadly, Estelle learned the hard way that the fae have two faces, and are very fickle in their actions. Jeannie sinks her claws into the creature’s shoulders, and morphing her muzzle enough that she can speak properly, says, “Why did you attack her? She was one of your strongest supporters in this time; she has nothing to do with your chosen one, and would not have interfered regardless.” The fae surrounding them reply, “To hurt the Undying One. He escaped in Lahore, he owes us!” Jeannie, growling, responds, “He was going to let you go, he wants you to take your chosen one, but collateral damage is unacceptable. This woman, here, her injury, is unacceptable! Go, take your chosen one, and leave!” The faeries cackle, “The other woman will fight us, this was meant to be a warning against that.” Jeannie sits back on her haunches, tilting her head inquisitively, and inquires,“Other woman? What other woman?” The fae she had been holding down points at the newly arrived Gwen, “Her!” it says. Jeannie’s gaze swings around, noticing that the rest of the team have arrived, and that Gwen is staring in shock at the scene they ran in on. With the attention successfully diverted from them, the faeries fade away, leaving the faint sound of laughter behind them.

Jeannie, sensing that the fae have left for now, shifts to human form, and walks into Jack’s embrace. From that safe haven, she skewers Gwen with a look, asking “What did they mean about you?” Gwen huffs irritably, “We can’t just let them take an innocent child!” Gwen turns her doe eyes on Jack, “You’re not really going to let them have a child, are you Jack?” Jack sighs, and then, tightening his arms around his mate for strength, says, “One child, who chooses to go with the fae, or the whole planet; there is really no choice to be made here, Gwen! The chosen ones are never happy children; they are always abused in some way by those who are supposed to protect them. Leave this alone Gwen!” It is quite obvious from her stance that Gwen is not going to let this lie; Jeannie gently removes herself from her mate’s arms and walks over to Gwen. “Her name is Jasmine Pearce; she is ten years old, and loved her father dearly. But he died six years ago, and her mother fell into a pit of despair, leaving young Jasmine to her own devices, to find her own way of dealing with the loss of her beloved father. The fae were her playmates; from them, she received the love and understanding that her mother should have given her. The first few times the fae visited her, she ran to her mother, and tried to tell her what was happening, but all she received for her concern was a hand across her cheek, and so she stopped going to her mother for anything. One year after her father died, just a single 12-month period, her mother met her current boyfriend. One year after that, the boyfriend moved in, and Jasmine’s fate as a chosen one was sealed. The boyfriend really liked her mother, but he didn’t care much for young Jasmine, although the mother never heard about that. You see, young Jasmine learned the hard way that taking her fears and concerns to her mother would result in punishment; and so when her mother’s boyfriend smacked her around a bit, she went to her friends, and got comfort from them. They became her confidants and her protectors. That paedophile from the park was trying to take her for his pleasure, and the fae stepped in to protect what they considered theirs; this was something her own mother failed to do. So you see Gwen, the fae have become young Jasmine’s family; her mother stopped noticing her when her father died, and therefore no longer has any claim to her. The fae are taking what’s theirs home with them; young Jasmine will live forever, and be loved and happy for eternity. What more could anyone ask for a child?” Gwen is gaping at Jeannie as she finishes her story. Jack, realizing that the show is over, shows the paramedics to Estelle’s side, ensuring that she is comfortable for her brief ride to the hospital. He tells the team to secure Estelle’s house, and after kissing Jeannie on the forehead, climbs into the ambulance. 

Suzie organizes the cleanup operation, and then sends everyone home with orders to write their reports in the morning, while Ianto gives the local glass glazier a call to arrange for the installation of a new window for Estelle’s kitchen. Finished locking up the house, Jeannie calls Jack to check how Estelle is doing while Ianto drives them back to the Hub. He reports that she will be fine, and is just a bit shaken up by the evening’s events; he agrees to pass on their well-wishes, and says that he will see them in the morning.

Two days later

Estelle was released from the hospital with no lasting harm from her ordeal with the fae, and by the time she went back home her window had been replaced, and the mess had been cleared up. Estelle decided to stop trying to contact the fae, and turned her efforts towards her garden instead, much to Jack’s relief.

Young Jasmine Pierce was taken to her everlasting home during the anniversary party her mother and her boyfriend were having; Torchwood arrived in time to save everyone except the boyfriend, and retconned the remaining guests and her mother. The fae left this plane with their newest chosen one, and things went back to normal…for Torchwood, anyway.

The team returned to the Hub and wrote their reports while all of the information was still fresh; Ianto delivered coffee while Jeannie brought in food. The mood in the Hub was gloomy and depressed, and the whole team was feeling the effects; Gwen had been mulling over what Jeannie had told her about Jasmine’s childhood, and was slowly coming to grips with the fact that sometimes, things couldn’t be fixed.

Once the reports were written and submitted to Jack, the team (minus Jeannie and Ianto) went home with travel mugs full of coffee in their hands. Very little sound was heard beyond the rustling of cloth and the clanking of metal until the Hub was empty once more. 

The three mates went through the reports briefly before Jack signed off on them and Ianto took them down to the archives for filing, and then they met in their apartment to try and forget the bad things that happen all too frequently in their line of work.


	13. Countrycide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeannie goes all bad-ass kitty on some cannibals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is one sentence, non-graphic, of a throat being ripped out. Just a heads' up!

The excitement with the fae left a bit of a sour taste in everyone's mouth. Without Jeannie's intervention Estelle would have died, and it is quite likely that Gwen would have plowed right through Jack's orders to leave it alone, and something would have happened to her as well. A learning experience for everyone, thankfully with no additional scars to remember it by, the Torchwood team was grateful to see the backs of the fae. Tosh stored the weather-monitoring programme that she wrote, just in case they came back. Jack was cloistered in his office, and if a person could come to blows during a phone conversation, there would be blood; Ianto silently slides in through Jack's door, and takes the phone away from him. Ianto then proceeds to smooth the ruffled feathers of whichever bureaucrat Jack was taking his spleen out on, ending the chat on a high note and a chuckle. Jack had, meanwhile, settled himself into his chair with his arms crossed, his lip stuck out mulishly, which caused Ianto to laugh again once he saw Jack's expression. "We have to play nice; otherwise they'll go running to mama!" Jack says, "But why? 'Mama' is the Queen of England, and she likes us best!" Ianto rolls his eyes, perching near Jack on his desk. "She likes me best, you mean! I'm the diplomatic one in this relationship, and I have no idea how you managed to stay afloat before my arrival!" With this, Ianto leans down to plant a chaste kiss upon his mate's lips before gracefully gliding back out the door.

Jeannie had arrived back during their chat in Jack's office, and garnered the gist of the meeting through their link. Looking over the Hub, Jeannie cannot muster any energy to do any of the things that need to be done, and she heads down to their apartment to brood; Jack and Ianto share a concerned look, and kick the other three out for a long lunch before following her. They enter their apartment to find her prowling around the living space, unable to settle. "What's wrong, beautiful?" Jack asks with his brow wrinkled in concern. Ianto joins them as Jack wraps his arms around her and settles them onto their couch. They can both feel depression and guilt flowing over the link, and she won't meet their eyes. Ianto plants a small kiss behind her ear, "Tell us, it can't be that bad!" Jeannie shudders, and shows them via their link. They see her, at this time of her first life, with two children. They also realize that a birthday is approaching, and this is what has her depressed. Sighing in unison, Jack and Ianto hold Jeannie tighter, knowing that there is absolutely nothing that they can do to fix this. She was pulled out of her time (and off her planet), her DNA messed with, and then dropped back on the right planet, but several years too early. According to her memories, her youngest child had not even been born yet, and he was ten when she was taken. Too cap it all off, even when the two timelines merge again, she still can't go back. That would be really good, "Hello Dear! I'm a cat now!" Yeah, not happening. And so Jeannie is feeling lonesome for something that her mates can't really help her with, except to be there to hold her when she needs it.

Jeannie sniffs a bit, swiping the few tears that fell off of her cheeks, and takes a deep breath. "I can watch them from a distance, maybe be a guardian angel or something when the timelines merge again, but I can never be their mother again. It's gonna take me a bit to get used to the idea; I'll figure it out eventually, but never feel like I love you both any less, or that I cherish what we have any less, based upon what I lost." Her mates wrapped her up mentally and figuratively, ensuring that she was surrounded by love, warmth, and understanding.

Jeannie fell asleep in their comforting embrace, and it was late afternoon when the three surfaced in the Hub again; nothing was said about their absence, and they all got back to work.

Gwen calls Jeannie over to take a look at her monitor; "Does the rift go out to the Beacons? There have been quite a few people going missing in that area, and they want us to look in to it for them, since they can't figure it out." Jeannie's brows draw together, sensing something, but not sure what. "Let's take this to Jack." Jack bounces down the stairs from his office, always happy to leave paperwork behind, and the girls fill him in. He looks around at his team, and decides that they can do a team-building exercise, and maybe look into the disappearances a bit on the side; his mates, hearing what is going through his head, snicker quietly, and Ianto heads down into the bowels to bring up the gear they will need. In the meantime, Jack has called a meeting and everyone trundles up to the boardroom, with Ianto bringing in the usual beverages before seating himself next to Jack.

Once the team has taken a few sips of the coffee and settled down, Jack tells them about the case in the Brecon Beacons, and that he wants to use it as a bonding exercise for the team. Owen is less than thrilled when he hears that they will be camping, and is told to suck it up by his team-mates, leaving him with a disgruntled pout on his face. It's decided that they will depart the following morning, as the rift is supposed to be quiet for a few days, and UNIT can corral any weevils that poke their heads out of the sewers while they are gone; also, Jack broaches the topic of a short vacation for himself and his mates. With the rift in a quiet phase, the team sees nothing wrong with this, and the plans are finalized.

Jack cuts the team loose for the day, with orders to return no later than 0600 the following morning; pastries and coffee will be provided, as usual. With very little fanfare, the Hub empties of its denizens, even Jack, Ianto, and Jeannie leave. They decide to have a meal, and then go see a film, returning to their apartment reasonably early for their trip the following day.

 

The triad awakens, ready to face the day; they had discussed their vacation plans the evening before, and would proceed to Ianto's cottage, which was an hour or so away from the area they were investigating, once they had finished looking into the disappearances. Suzie was riding up with Jeannie, while the others brought the SUV, and would meet at the camp site that evening; the two girls were looking forward to a day of just hanging out together. Once everyone was present that morning (if not necessarily happy), Jeannie kissed her mates goodbye, and they drove off, travel mugs of coffee and pastries at the ready.

Jeannie entertained Suzie with Owen's antics on the drive (relayed through her mates), and they were both in stitches over his reaction to grass. Jeannie had to pull off of the road for a short time when Suzie imitated Owen's expression and tone of voice. The hours passed enjoyably (at least for Suzie and Jeannie), and they arrived at the cottage late in the morning; after unloading the jeep, the girls sat on the porch with beer in-hand, enjoying the clear weather and clean air.

Suddenly, Jeannie stops talking mid-sentence, and her eyes lose focus; Suzie realizes that something has happened, and her assumption is proven correct when Jeannie's attention snaps back. "There's trouble; someone just nicked the SUV while the team were distracted by a decoy in the woods. I need to go, I can get there faster on four paws than four wheels; let me mark their location on your GPS, and you can follow in the jeep." Suzie nods sharply, and Jeannie programs the GPS while Suzie locks up the cabin. Before Suzie even turns around to head for the jeep, Jeannie has shifted and disappeared, her coloring providing excellent camouflage.

Running flat-out, Jeannie arrives at the small village of Brynblaidd nestled in a small valley, and creeps to the top of a hill to reconnoiter. Her paws make no noise as she creeps around the outskirts of the village, and her fur allows her to blend in quite nicely; she is looking for the SUV as well as trying to find out what is going on. Jack is watching through her eyes as the rest of the team have arrived and are waiting for Jeannie's intel on the village before continuing. Jeannie, crouching in concealment, sniffs the air, opening her mouth to taste it as well; something isn't right here. She doesn't sense anything that shouldn't be here, and there is no rift energy at all, but there has to be something! Her senses are telling her that the place is dangerous; she just has to figure out why before her much more breakable team-mates rush in. As she slinks along close to the ground, she catches the scent of blood; lots of blood; she sees several men walking around carrying bats and shotguns, and passes the information on to Jack. Once he acknowledges receipt, she backs off into the tree line to wait for full-dark; she moves best at night; her mates can clear the village while there is still daylight. While she waits, she considers what her senses are telling her: the villagers are armed, and the whole village is saturated with the stench of blood and fear. Her eyes widen when she realizes that the villagers have to be cannibals; it's the only answer that fits. Jack and Ianto had followed her mental pathway to the same logical conclusion that she came up with, and altered their plan of attack accordingly.

Jack sends Ianto and Tosh to scout around the buildings while he takes Gwen and Owen to search the houses. Gwen, unfortunately, failed to keep herself clear of the doorway when she opened it, and received a gut full of buckshot for her error. Apparently, a young hiker on his gap year had come through with his friends, and he was the only one left alive; he had holed up in the house they were searching, and was terrified. Gwen would survive; in the meantime, they retreat to the pub and barricade themselves in until night falls. Ianto and Tosh get ambushed, making Jeannie's hackles rise, and a low growl rumble in her chest. Ianto sends through their link that they are, indeed, dealing with cannibals, and his fear is obvious. Her ears flat against her skull, Jeannie slinks to the building where they're being held and her acute hearing picks up one of the men taunting Tosh and Ianto, talking about how meat needs to be tenderized to make it taste better, and then bled. The low growl turning into a full-on roar of rage, Jeannie slams through the window, scattering the cannibals in the room. Pouncing on the biggest man there, she sinks her claws into his shoulders, and rips his throat out with her sharp teeth; Jack crashes through the door on a tractor, adding to the mayhem of terror in the room. He very handily shoots to incapacitate, and then admires Jeannie's work on the head cannibal before releasing his team from their shackles; this was not quite the relaxing bonding exercise he had in mind when planning this little excursion!

Several hours later, the local constabulary has taken custody of the remaining cannibals (or their corpses), while the EMT's have checked out the team. With their work done, the team (minus Jack, Ianto, and Jeannie) climb into the SUV for the long ride back to civilization. Suzie is bemoaning the fact that she arrived at the village just in time to see Jack crash into the building on his tractor, thus missing most of the excitement; as she is uninjured, she takes the wheel to head back to Cardiff. The triad climbs into the jeep to head back to the cottage, where a nice hot bath and a fireplace await them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am undecided on writing another episode-related chapter next, or doing a backstory chapter. Which would you guys prefer?


	14. Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While relaxing for a few days, the triad expands their bond while learning more about Jeannie.

The mates trudged into the cottage in exhaustion; they all knew that cannibals still existed, but none of them had ever even guessed that cannibals might be what were causing the disappearances. The fact that the whole team survived with nothing more than cuts and bruises is something to be thankful for.

Ianto starts a fire while Jeannie heats up some soup; Jack starts up the Jacuzzi, putting in a dollop of lavender oil to help them relax. They drink their (vegetarian) soup with cups of coffee while cuddling in front of the fire; once they decide to go soak a bit, Ianto places the fire guard on the hearth, and climbs into the Jacuzzi with his mates. Once they have all turned to jelly, they help each other out of the water and head off to bed. They make a pact to not even think about today’s excitement until they have to sit down and write their reports in Cardiff; until then they plan to relax and do whatever takes their fancy. That’s what a vacation is, right?

Over the course over the next few days, the trio just relaxes and enjoys the peace around the cottage; they have nowhere to be, and they revel in that feeling. They explore their bond a bit more, as they have been so busy with Torchwood since they bonded, and discuss what new ‘tricks’ Jeannie has up her sleeve. She is afraid to actually try to travel via the rift on purpose; who knows where (or when) she would end up; she figures that using it to get to Estelle was a fluke. Eventually, she’ll work on it; the bond she shares with her mates will allow them to find each other across time and space, but testing it really isn’t what she wants to do. Jack suggests, “Maybe it’s like shifting; you meld your mind to ours to control the shift, that could be the key to tapping the power of teleportation as well.” Jeannie agrees thoughtfully; “Okay, let’s give this a shot then!” Closing her eyes, she mentally joins with her mates fully, and then gathers the power she feels, trying to see herself outside on the porch. With a gasp and a full-body tingle, she disappears from view, leaving a few stray golden sparkles behind her. Jack and Ianto rush outside, giddy with joy over this discovery when they see Jeannie standing on the porch looking shocked. “Okay, that worked…rather well!” Jeannie laughs.

Her mates laugh with her; “Well, since that went so well, how about we try it with a passenger?” Jeannie looks uncertainly at Jack and Ianto. They exchange looks, and then shrug their shoulders, “What’s the worst it could do? Kill us?” With that said, they link their arms around each other, and Jeannie concentrates on seeing all three of them across the field. They land in a tangle of limbs, with an unconscious Jeannie in the middle of them. But teleport them, she did! Immediately sensing that she is just exhausted from using what are, in essence, new muscles, Jack carefully picks her up, and the mates make their way back to the cottage to rest.

Jeannie sleeps peacefully for just over three hours, waking with a mild headache and a grumbling stomach. The sound of low voices leads her into the small kitchenette where she finds her boys preparing a meal; they see her enter, and immediately drop everything and rush over, cooing in happiness that she’s awake again. Snickering gently at them, she reassures both men that she is fine, and perhaps should not do quite so much the first time out next time.

The mates take their meal in the living room, on a low table in front of the fire; they discuss the merits of teleportation, and agree that it should be practiced enough that Jeannie can use it without exhausting herself. They set up a timetable, rift-willing, for her to exercise those muscles; initially solo-trips, and when those are easy, they’ll move on to the more draining accompanied trips. Deciding that they have had quite enough excitement, the mates frolic for the remainder of the day.

Jack and Ianto awaken to a bed with a Jeannie-sized gap in it. They send out tendrils to verify location and safety, and then grab a quick shower to wake up before joining her. Coffee thermos in-hand, they settle down onto the back porch with a pensive Jeannie, Ianto refilling her mug before setting the thermos aside. The three sit in silence for several minutes, knowing that Jeannie is gathering her thoughts together.

In her soft southern drawl, Jeannie starts a story, “Once upon a time, a race thrived; they held the universe in the palms of their hands. They were lauded as the greatest scientists in the universe. But they developed quite a bit of hubris, and got too big for their britches. They tinkered with their own DNA, and while some of the changes were good, they ultimately led to the sterility of their race, and they began to die out. Long before the fertility faded, an oracle produced a prophecy: that someday, the race would rise again, and have prosperity. This would be in the form of Phela-made; certain select sentient creatures from across the galaxy would be transformed into the new race of Phela. I’ve realized since my initial captivity that the creatures who took me through the rift were Phela-born; they used the rift to hop through time and ‘collect’ specimens. They felt that it was their task to usher in the new race of Phela-made, and started with me. But I left before they could finish. Since then, I think I finished on my own, and I’m having a hard time reconciling my hatred of them for taking me away from my family.” Jeannie stops for a moment to collect herself, and then continues. “I know that this is where I belong now, but I miss them.” As tears slowly track down her cheeks, Jeannie looks into the distance. “We were gearing up for my daughter’s 16th birthday party; we were so excited. But right now, she’s barely even started school.” Looking at her mates, Jeannie sniffs and continues. “I am so very happy that I found both of you, and that we bonded; none of us will ever be alone again, throughout eternity. But because we are all immortal, losing family is going to become the norm for us; we’ll never get used to it, otherwise we would stop feeling at all, but we can get past it.” Taking a deep breath, Jeannie goes on, “I had a vision while I slept; there’s a man coming, I think he might be your Doctor, Jack; I have to travel with him for awhile to learn about myself, and hone my abilities.” Jack’s eyes are wide when she looks at him; smiling gently, she reassures both of her mates that she won’t be gone long at all, at least not to them; besides, with their link, they are always together, through time and space.

Jack takes Jeannie’s face in his hands, and places a gentle kiss upon her lips, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. His own eyes are glistening as Ianto comes up behind her, and lays his head on her shoulder while wrapping his arms around both of them in a tight hug. As they stand there entwined, their minds merge, sharing their emotions, memories, and fears; their bond notches up to a new level, leaving the triad more entwined than ever.

Homeward Bound

The trip back to Cardiff is relaxed. Their bond has been renewed and strengthened in ways that they had not even imagined; the Doctor will be coming sometime soon, and Jeannie will make sure Jack gets his answers before she leaves with him. But for now, they have a job to do.


	15. Revelations Pt 1

Several days after the incident in Brynblaidd, Jeannie is huddled down in the med-bay with Owen; they’re going over her chart, updating her record with the latest abilities and test results. He has her perched on the table with leads going here, there, and everywhere while she’s laughing at his reaction to her story about how she teleported for the first time when Jack wanders over, and leans on the railing above the bay to listen in, adding his own two pence to the conversation. Owen tries to order him to leave, as he has a half-naked patient to see to, and Jack leers, indicating that the view is quite good, and he intends to stay. Rolling his eyes, Owen continues with the scans before pronouncing Jeannie healthy enough to put her clothes back on, and get her boy-toy out of his hair.

Surfacing from the med-bay, Jeannie grabs Jack’s hand and tugs him up the stairs, detouring to Tosh’s station at her request; she has a piece of tech that fell through the rift in front of her, and has a match in the records indicating that it is Phela in origin. Examining it with interest, Jeannie has a seat while reaching for it eagerly. It appears to be a sort of hat, made of a malleable metallic material; Tosh, in answer to Jeannie’s questioning look, indicates that it is some sort of learning device. No idea what it teaches, but it appears to be harmless from her scans of it. Jeannie, who has been looking it over while running her hands over it, promptly plops it onto her head with a shrug. Jack lunges forward to try and stop her, but is too late; Ianto, feeling Jack’s fear, rushes up from the archives, and stops when he sees their mate with a metal cap on. Jeannie’s eyes are wide with wonder as she reaches out blindly for the hands of her mates; with Jack and Ianto kneeling on either side of her chair, she starts talking.

“This is completely amazing! It’s all in the Phela language, but I can understand it; what we have is unusual, even for the Phela. Our triad is bound in ways that are unheard of, making us more powerful than any other bonding in history. This helmet has dumped so much knowledge into my head that it’ll take me months, if not years, to understand it all, but from what I can gather, the way we are bound is what allows me to teleport, time-travel, and everything else. This is, truly, an equal-opportunity relationship, because with time, I can teach both of you to travel too!” Taking off the helmet, Jeannie carefully places it back on Tosh’s desk before shaking her head to settle the ruffled fur. Ianto has his eyes narrowed in thought. “So, you’re saying that at some point in the future, Jack and I will be able to teleport like you do? Without you starting the process and taking us along for the ride?” Laughing, Jeannie nods her head emphatically. Jack looks a bit awed at the prospect; glancing down at his wrist strap, he just shakes his head, thinking that ‘travel by Jeannie’ is so much better than the Agency way!

Gwen and Suzie arrived back just in time to hear Jeannie start talking; Suzie is happy for her friends, and amused by the looks of awe on their faces as they contemplate teleporting themselves about. Gwen briefly looks like she swallowed a glass of unsweetened lemonade before her expression clears to one of acceptance; she wanders over to her own station to browse through the latest police reports, hoping for something to redirect attention to anything except Jeannie. She gets her wish, but not from a report; the rift alarm blares, indicating that a ship has come through and landed on the outskirts of Splott. Tosh finds a single operational CCTV camera for the area, and it shows a silvery saucer, the approximate size of their SUV. Recognizing it, Jack chuckles, “They’re traders; they always have something good, Tosh, Jeannie, Ianto, with me! The rest of you, paperwork! Chop chop!” With that, Jack detours into his office for his coat and a small rucksack containing knick-knacks he’s put together for just such an occurrence.

Several hours later, the four team mates cheerfully wave at the departing trade ship; their rucksack is empty, and several hard-to-get items are in the back of the SUV; Jack knows exactly where each piece will do the most good. Most of the haul will go to his contacts in the Cardiff alien community, and will be used in barter from there, and a few of the pieces will stay in his personal safe until needed. With a successful mission completed, Jack verifies that the Hub is locked down for the night, and then sends everyone home while dragging his mates off to dinner.

After they have eaten, the three go for a stroll in the park; it’s a clear night for a change, and not too cold, or too late. They are strolling along beside the duck pond when Jack stops, as stiff as a statue as he stares across the water. Following his gaze in confusion, they see a woman in her 30’s smiling fondly at a young boy; the mates catch a slideshow of fast-moving pictures that show the woman growing up until she is about 5 or so, and then the next set of images shows her as an adult. From this, they gather that this is Jack’s daughter and grandson; with no secrets in their relationship, of course they know all about her. They know that her mother poisoned her against him when she ran away with Torchwood’s help back in the 70’s; they also know that she begrudges him any time spent with her son, his grandson. His heart breaks every time he sees the look of fear and contempt in her eyes when she looks at him; he hides it well, but the hurt is there all the same. When Jack turns and walks away, they realize that the woman had seen him, but not the boy. Had the boy been aware that his beloved ‘Uncle Jack’ was in the vicinity, there would have been no escaping for any of them. 

Jeannie sends a calculating look in the woman’s direction before turning and following Jack. She and Ianto wrap their arms protectively around his waist, blanketing his hurt in warmth and love. With a grateful smile, his shoulders relax a bit, and they head back to the Hub; the night has lost a bit of its charm for now, and they just want to go home and cuddle.

The next day is a Sunday, and Jeannie leaves to run some errands midway through the morning. She ends up at the same pond as the night before, and sees Jack’s daughter, minus the boy. Wandering over to where she is sitting, Jeannie settles down next to her on the bench while looking her over. The woman, Alice, is returning the once-over, and starts talking. “You were with my father last night; you should be careful, he’s a very dangerous man, and he’ll hurt you.” Jeannie’s eyes flash with anger, “Is that your own experience talking, or the poison Lucia fed you?” Alice’s nostrils flare in annoyance, “What do you know about this? About my mother? Or how my father left us?” Jeannie shakes her head sadly before responding. “If you want to know the truth, call me. If you want to keep living in your safe sheltered little world were Mummy always knows best, don’t.” With that, Jeannie leaves a plain card with her number printed on it lying on the bench between them and walks away with her head down. Alice picks up the card, running her fingers over the raised numbers while thoughtfully watching as the woman walks away.

Returning to the Hub, Jeannie walks up to Jack’s office, vaguely noticing that he’s on the phone. She quietly climbs into his lap for a cuddle, relishing the feeling of him wrapping his free arm around her while he continues berating whatever politician had the misfortune to call him. Jack wraps up the call by slamming the phone back onto its cradle; “What’s wrong, beautiful?” Keeping her head firmly planted on his shoulder, Jeannie tells him that she ran into Alice, and was warned off by her. Jack closes his eyes in pain; “It’s not her fault, her mother twisted her perceptions of me. Maybe she was right to do that; I am a dangerous man.” Jeannie raises her head, her luminous green cat-eyes catching and holding Jack’s blue gaze. “Yeah, you’re dangerous, but it still isn’t your fault! You loved her mother, and you love her. Lucia knew damn-well what she was getting when she married you; you never hid your immortality from her. Instead of handling the situation like an adult, she took her little red wagon, and ran! Unfortunately, she was enabled in her childish reaction by the fact that Torchwood wanted to use her to keep you in line; they sent you off on some trumped-up mission while they relocated both of them.” Jeannie continues gently, “You forget my love, I saw the memory; I felt what you felt when you came back home from a mission that went tits-up hoping for a hug from your little girl and found the house empty. It wasn’t your fault. It’s not Alice’s either, but both of you are hurting because of the situation.” Jack’s head is resting on Jeannie’s shoulder, and Ianto has come in, closing the door behind him before crouching beside his mates. “When I finally found her again, she was all grown up, and her mother was on her death-bed; I finally managed to talk to Alice the day of Lucia’s funeral. She had Stephen by then, and her marriage was rocky, so I did what I could to help them out. I started sending them money every month; Alice had made sure I knew I wasn’t welcome, but Stephen, he was ecstatic over having an uncle. And so, she let me keep in touch.” Two tears trail slowly down his cheeks as he talks, his eyes sad and hurting. 

Ianto breaks away long enough to go kick the team out for the night before pulling his mates up from the chair and leading them down to their apartment. Tonight is going to be a comforting night for them; the rift can go hang itself!


	16. Revelations Pt 2

After cuddling and comforting Jack throughout the night, Jeannie rose at dawn to go for a walk and think a bit. As he talked, the memories of the events he spoke about rose to the surface of his thoughts, and were available to his mates. Seeing what happened broke her heart, and made her wish that Lucia was not already dead; she would have loved to have a word or two with the woman! Jeannie’s phone chirped, indicating a text message. Checking it, she sees that Alice wants to meet her on the Barrage to talk, and perhaps to have a coffee at a nearby coffee shop. Letting the boys know where she will be, and who she will be with for the morning, Jeannie makes her way to the requested location after agreeing to Alice’s request.

Jeannie arrives before Alice, and leans comfortably against the Barrage railing, watching out over the stream while she waits. A few minutes pass before Jeannie’s acute hearing picks up a set of footsteps approaching; a small whiff of watered-down 51st century pheromones floats on the breeze towards her, announcing Alice’s presence. Jeannie turns to face her, gauging her mood by her expression and body language: apprehensive and curious.

“You said that if I wanted to know what really happened when I was a child, to call you. Here I am.” Alice says when she gets close enough. Jeannie nods, and the two women start walking slowly along the barrage. “You’re not gonna like some of what I’m gonna say. Your Daddy loved you when you were a child, and he loves you now.” Alice makes a motion to interrupt, but is forestalled by Jeannie. “Let me finish, and then you’ll get your turn, I promise.” Alice nods. “He didn’t expect you to happen; Lucia was on contraceptives provided by Torchwood. But she wanted his child, and stopped taking them long enough to get pregnant. Jack was livid! You see, he knew what any child of his would be put through, what he would be put through just to keep the child safe. Lucia didn’t believe him, she was starry-eyed, and for her, at that time, Torchwood could do no wrong. Jack married her, which was another thing she had wanted; he decided that he could do a better job of keeping you safe if he was living with you. And he was right, up to a point.” Jeannie turns from her perusal of the water to pin Alice with a sharp look. “And then Lucia found a grey hair two weeks before your 6th birthday party and went off the deep end. Your Daddy couldn’t do or say anything to get through to her, all she saw was her getting old and grey and wrinkly while he stayed forever young. She went to their Torchwood bosses, and asked for their help in getting away from him. Agreeing, they sent him out on a simple-enough mission that happened to be in Scotland, and would take a couple of days to complete. They planned this to cover your birthday party; Lucia wanted to twist the knife she was stabbing Jack with, and decided that would be perfect. The mission in Scotland went tits-up unexpectedly, and the other agent Jack went up there with died. So did he, but he came back. Jack wrapped up the assignment, and limped back home; he wanted to hug his little girl, to smell her clean scent, and be reassured that not everyone in the world hated him. He arrived back at the house the morning after the party was supposed to happen, and he knew as soon as he opened the door that it had all been a ruse to get you away. And he went off the rails completely. He trashed the house, and when he walked out of it again a few hours later, he locked it up and disappeared into the depths of the Hub. Back then, they didn’t have the sensitive scanners we have now at Torchwood, and they couldn’t find him. No one knows the depths of the Hub better than Jack, and he used that knowledge to hide away and lick his wounds, and close his heart. He never ever wanted to hurt like this again, you see. You were his little angel, and you had been taken away just surely as if you had died; he couldn’t find you, no matter what he offered his contacts.” Jeannie takes a shuddering breath, and Alice notices the tears slowly winding down her cheeks. “The new millennium came, and with it Jack was made the leader of Torchwood, Cardiff. The safe that held the files on where you were taken was now open to him, and he used that knowledge to remove all traces of himself from your past. He was quite thorough, first deleting all electronic files, and then scouting out any hardcopies, and removing them as well. You see, he had come to the conclusion that you were better off without a freak such as him in your life. And that, if he erased himself from your life, then his enemies would be unable to hurt you. When Lucia died, he immediately erased the final records, those of his marriage to her, and altered your birth certificate to indicate that no father was listed. But he couldn’t stop himself from attending her funeral, just to see you one last time. His little angel, all grown up, it was the first time he had seen you since that day so long ago when he promised he would come home.” Jeannie’s gaze turns sharply back to the water flowing under the Barrage. “Your response to him was nothing less than what he expected, what he felt he deserved, and then a small blonde-haired boy comes up, and asks who this man is. You couldn’t think, and so you told him it was his Uncle Jack, and he was thrilled to have an uncle, and Jack was so happy to have some sort of acknowledgment, even if it was through the eyes of a child. Since then, he’s acquiesced to every demand that you have made of him, staying away until young Stephen badgers her enough to let him come around. He makes sure that you have all that you need for the both of you, especially since your husband ran off. He calls it his ‘penance for being a freak that procreated’.” Jeannie’s tears have dried on her cheeks now, and as she looks at Alice’s horrified expression, she continues. “I know that you should have some fragment of memory from before your mother took you away; before she poisoned your mind and heart against the man that is your father. The man who called you his ‘little angel’, and comforted himself with your love when everything else seemed to be against him. Find those memories, and remember his unconditional love, because he has a huge heart, and it was shattered into so many pieces when Lucia took you away from him.” 

Alice’s eyes meet Jeannie’s, and she has a hard time speaking. “I have a lot to think about; I never knew about most of that.” Looking at Jeannie, Alice asks, “you’re not as young as you look, are you? And your hair, it looks more like fur.” Jeannie bows her head before meeting Alice’s eyes again and replying, “Technically, based on my birthday, I’m younger than you; courtesy of the Rift, I’m also a mother who has lost her children. Jack and Ianto saved me, and have kept me sane while the DNA changes initiated by aliens were completed. So, no, I’m not human anymore, but I used to be.” Jeannie’s eyes have a haunted look to them, and Alice feels compelled to draw the younger woman into a tight hug. “I think that you’re beautiful, and that my father is a lucky man. D’you think he’d be willing to meet me alone? Just to talk?” Jeannie pulls back from Alice’s embrace, looking deeply into her eyes before she nods her head. “I think he would like that very much. But, a warning: I will not allow you to hurt him again. He has enough hurt just from the last 140 years to last him the thousands of years he will be forced to live. He doesn’t need any more!” Jeannie’s glare softens as she takes her leave from her mate’s daughter. They agree that she will arrange the meeting, and will contact Alice once it is all arranged.


	17. Reconciliation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am continuing to pull from the various episodes from each series of the show, and will do my own version of occasional episodes. If anyone has any requests, I am quite willing to work it in, as I am trying to cover some things that I haven't seen anyone else do for the most part, if at all.

Unbeknownst to Alice, Jack and Ianto observed her meeting through Jeannie’s eyes; they heard what was said, and saw the reactions themselves. Jack’s heart was warmed a bit, at having confirmation that his daughter might not truly hate him. He sent his feelings of gratitude and love down their link to Jeannie, and asked her to hurry home for a cuddle. While she flagged down a taxi, Ianto settled down on the Hub’s couch with Jack; no reason not to start the cuddling early, after all. Especially since Jack was a bit of a wreck; he ‘heard’ Jack’s thought that, as much as they had saved Jeannie, she and Ianto had saved him. Their love healed him in ways that he didn’t even know he was broken; it had made him a better man all around, and he was so very happy that he had allowed them into the Hub that day. Ianto’s embrace tightens, and he presses a soft kiss to Jack’s temple, “We will always love you, and we will never willingly leave you or hurt you.”

Standing just out of sight, Gwen’s eyes darken as she hears Ianto’s words. She is battling with herself; she has seen Jeannie do some wondrous things, but she cannot help but wonder if her ‘reading’ wasn’t given to her just so that Jeannie could lay claim to Jack for herself. They never talked much about what Jeannie can do, after all. Maybe it’s all just a ruse. The cog door rolls open with all of its usual pomp and ceremony to admit the woman she had been thinking of. 

Jeannie strides in, catching sight of Gwen; she tilts her head to one side and raises an eyebrow at her in question, and Gwen just smiles and shakes her head. Shrugging, Jeannie continues to her mates, giving Gwen the bag containing lunch on her way past. Gwen’s expression darkens at this, but pulling her mask in place, she carries the bag to the boardroom, calling out over the comms that lunch has arrived. Jeannie continues on her way to her mates, who are happily cuddling on the couch. Settling herself in their laps, she nuzzles her face into Jack’s neck, sniffing deeply and sighing in pleasure. After a few minutes, Jeannie’s stomach rumbles its displeasure at being ignored, and they chuckle before untangling themselves and heading for the boardroom.

After lunch, the team gets back to work, and the three mates retreat to Jack’s office to talk, with a short detour to Tosh’s station to ascertain the next quiet period for the rift. Verifying that it will be three days hence, Jack agrees to meet Alice in the same park as the previous night, rift-willing. Jeannie shakes her head; “No, you’ll meet her unless the world is ending, rift trash the team can handle. This is more important.” Jack’s eyes glisten and he has a soft smile on his face in response to Jeannie’s pronouncement. He sees Ianto nodding his head in agreement, “She’s right. Your daughter is more important than rift trash; all family is. Hopefully, the whole team won’t have a family emergency at the same time.” Jack hugs his mates closely to him, basking in their love and acceptance.

3 Days Later

The rift cooperating thus far, Jack sits on a bench near the duck pond, idly tossing bread to the ducks as he waits for his daughter to show up. He snickers a bit at some pigeons that home in on the free meal, watching the ducks snap at them. His shoulders tense a bit when Alice takes a seat at the other end of the bench. “Stephen loves feeding the ducks here.” Keeping his eyes on the ducks, Jack says, “I think all children like it, and quite a few adults as well. It’s mindless pleasure, relaxing in a way.” Jack glances up at Alice from under his lashes briefly before returning his attention to the greedy ducks and birds. He hears his daughter let out a shaky breath before she begins to speak. “I have vague memories of you; you were always smiling; I always felt so safe in your arms. I remember being so upset that you were going to miss my birthday party; I didn’t understand why you had to go away. Obviously, now I know what Mum did. She was so bitter and angry at you for something you had no control over.” Alice looks at her father, noting the blank face, and places her hand on his knee, squeezing gently. His nostrils flare slightly, and she sees his gaze flick to her hand, and then up to her face. “I’m trying, Dad, I’m trying to overcome her conditioning, and think for myself. I really want to have you in my life.” Jack eyes well up, and he bites his lip before placing his hand over her own and lacing their fingers together. “I missed you, Angel. Your mother was right about some things, though. I am a dangerous man, and I have so many more enemies now that I’m the Director of Torchwood, and not just an operative.” “But Dad, I trust you, I’ve always trusted you to keep me safe. Even when I thought I hated you, I trusted you. Especially now, with Jeannie and Ianto as your mates, I trust you. She is an extraordinary woman, your Jeannie; appreciate her!” Jack chuckles, “Oh, believe me, not a single day goes by that I don’t thank whatever deities are out there for my mates. They saved me; Lucia hammered the final nail into the wall around my heart, but Jeannie and Ianto tore it down. I was in such a dark place after she took you away from me; that’s funny considering she conceived you without my knowledge beforehand. I love you so much baby!” Jack turns on the bench and wraps his arms tightly around his daughter, the lump in his throat making it difficult to breathe or talk. Alice, her eyes closed in happiness, rests her head upon her Daddy’s shoulder for the first time since she was a little girl; his little angel. Both are crying when Jeannie and Ianto arrive and settle down on either side of them on the bench; they rub backs and shoulders, and eventually join the hug, the three mates projecting love and comfort like a blanket across the embrace.

Once Jack and Alice have control of their emotions, they pull away from each other enough to make eye contact. Biting her lip, she shyly invites them to Stephens birthday party the following day; seeing their slightly shocked expressions, she hastens to reassure them that the party will be a small affair held at her house, just some of his school mates, and them, if they come. She looks down at her lap, wringing her hands together when she feels a gentle finger under her chin, raising her gaze to meet her father’s blinding grin. “Yes. Yesyesyesyes!” Jack hugs her again in joy, his heart soaring while he looks at Jeannie in gratitude for making this happen. Smiling happily, Ianto calls Suzie to arrange for them to be absent the following day; gasping, she guesses that it’s because Jack and his daughter have reconciled, and sends her congratulations, along with assurances that they can have as much time off as they want/need, apocalypse-willing. 

The remainder of the day is spent just talking amongst themselves before Alice invites them to dinner that evening; Stephen is beside himself and bouncing off the walls when he sees his beloved ‘Uncle Jack’ when he gets home. Alice calms him down, and has him sit in the living room while she explains that his uncle Jack is special; so special that he will never have to leave them alone like his Gran did. She tells him that Jack is actually his grandfather, and not his uncle, and that one day, she will have to pretend he is her son. Stephen is momentarily speechless; quite a rare occurrence for him, to be sure, but soon he is chattering away again, after promising to never tell anyone about just how ‘special’ his grandfather is. He’s introduced to Jeannie and Ianto, and immediately starts calling them Aunt and Uncle, much to their pleasure.

After dinner, the family retreats to the back yard to kick a ball around a bit, in hopes of running Stephen’s excess energy off. He is super-excited about his newest family members, and most especially that they will be at his party the following day. Eventually, his eyes start dropping, and he gets hustled off for a bath and bed, with Jack reading him a bedtime story. Once the boy is asleep, Jack gently closes the door, and then joins his family back on the porch. As they say their goodbyes for the evening, neither Jack nor Alice can stop smiling; they both know that a new chapter in their lives has just started.

With a final wave through the window, the mates return to the Hub, and head off for their own showers and bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review, and share whether or not you liked the writing. It's the only way authors have of judging whether or not they are doing a good job. Thanks!


	18. Out of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can the Doctor help Jeannie with her newfound abilities?

A flurry of activity has encompassed the Torchwood Hub; Jeannie is packing a bag to take with her while trying to do a good turn-over on the jobs she normally does around the place. Eventually Jack stops her by gripping her shoulders; “We’ll be fine, go, learn! And we’ll be here when you get back home.” Jack presses their foreheads together, reminding her that they are only ever a thought away from each other. She sighs, her shoulders relaxing as Ianto joins them, pressing up against Jeannie’s back and wrapping his arms around them both. He places a gentle kiss upon the mating mark on her shoulder while Jack does the same on the other side. All three take a deep breath and step apart, smiling at each other.

Tosh quietly steps up to them, saying that there are signs of something coming through the rift from the past; she wonders if the Doctor can take them back to their time, if it is people…

Jack cocks his head to the side. “He should be able to; all he can say is ‘no’, right?” Jeannie is happy to have one more night with her mates before she leaves for an unknown amount of time, and helps Jack convince the Doctor to stick around for a day.

The following morning, Jack and Ianto sit in the front of the SUV with Suzie and Owen in the back and drive to the old airstrip. A rift in the fabric of the sky opens up, spitting out an old DeHaviland airplane; it circles the runway and then comes in for a landing, taxiing over to the figures of the Torchwood team. The door opens, and three people disembark: the pilot, Diane; a businessman, John; and a young woman, Emma. 

After transporting the riftugees back to the Hub, Jeannie goes to talk to the Doctor; perhaps there is a way to get these people back to their own time; the man certainly seems to be unwilling to adapt. Of the two women, the younger one is excited to be here in this time; she could do very nicely for herself, should she choose to. The pilot…an extremely free-thinking woman for the 1950’s, she’ll fit right into this time with no problems; she has wanderlust…and a wandering eye. Jeannie sees her checking out her boys, and warns Tosh that her man might be in danger of having claws sunken into him.

 

Inside the TARDIS

“Doctor?” Jeannie finds the excitable man bouncing around the centre console, and reaches out her hand to stop him for a moment. With his attention thus garnered, he gives his full attention to the lovely woman in front of him, raising an enquiring eyebrow at her. “These travelers from the 1950’s, can you take them back home, if they want to go?” The Doctor’s eyes look a bit hazy for a moment before snapping back to Jeannie. “This can be your first exercise: look at their timelines, and then tell me if that will create a paradox. According to historical records, neither they nor the plane they landed in were ever seen again. But time is elastic in a lot of ways, and can be bent on occasion. Once you figure out whether this is one of those occasions, come and find me.” The Doctor grins cheerfully at Jeannie before disappearing into the endless corridors of the TARDIS.

Sighing deeply, Jeannie stares in the direction the Doctor went, pondering how to look at specific timelines; while she thinks, she settles down onto the jump seat beside the console. A short time later, she feels…something…nudging at the door to her mind; her eyes shoot up towards the central column as she realizes that the TARDIS is trying to communicate with her. With a gentle smile, Jeannie opens the door, inviting the sentient ship in. Conversing with the TARDIS, Jeannie learns that seeing timelines isn’t really very hard at all, as long as you have certain abilities to start with; the ship guides Jeannie to a small room with a large armchair. Once Jeannie is comfortably settled, she closes her eyes and looks at the timelines surrounding their three travelers. She sees the man commit suicide, and searches for a way to keep him alive. She finds that returning him to his own time won’t change anything big enough to matter in the big scheme of things and sighs in relief. The women are next: young Emma first; she is slated to spend a few days with Torchwood learning all that she can about this time; she’s already been offered a position designing ‘retro’ clothing in London. She’s all set for a bright future, and would only be held back if she went back to her own time. The pilot, Diane, is a bit of a wildcard; so very independent, and determined to get her own way, she still feels pinned down when she isn’t flying. So, having completed the exercise she was given, Jeannie follows the TARDIS’s directions to find him. 

Back in the Hub

After an enlightening discussion with the Doctor, Jeannie returns to the Hub in order to share her news. She walks into what appears to be a shouting match of epic proportions between John, Jack, and Ianto. Dipping into the minds of her mates, she gleans the cause: John had, apparently, been opening doors and had come across Jack and Ianto in a clinch. Being a product of the 1950’s, he immediately took umbrage, which led to the current floor-show. 

Whistling shrilly, Jeannie’s loud huff is heard by all in the sudden silence. Looking at her mates, she twitches her head to the side, and they follow her lead by moving away from the irate man; she then pierces John with a sharp look. “You are no longer at home. 50 years have passed; did you really think that nothing would change? Yes, they’re two men in a relationship; get over it! By the way, I’m also in the same relationship; the three of us are life mates, a triad; this doesn’t concern you in any way. Emma is not your child, but an adult woman. I’ve looked at the timelines surrounding each of you, and I have a choice for each of you.” Jeannie gives Emma a gentle look, “You can take the job offer you were given, and embrace this time, or you can go back home.” Jeannie gives Diane a guarded look, “You can stay as well, learn how to fly the new planes; or you can go back.” Jeannie glares at the heavily breathing John. “You also have a choice: stay or go. With your inability to accept change, it would be better for you to go. The timelines will survive either way, no matter what decision any of you three make.” With that said, Jeannie pivots on her heel and heads down to their apartment, with Jack and Ianto following along behind her.

Once the triad has left the main Hub, chatter resumes. Emma is looking around with bright eyes, and has already decided that she will stay; while she’ll miss her family, she didn’t miss what Jeannie didn’t say about returning home: that she would be stifled instead of encouraged. Diane is gazing thoughtfully at the tunnel the triad went down; if what they have is allowed here, she will definitely stay. John, although he is set in his ways is also not dumb; he sees that the two women he arrived with intend to stay, and he bows his head. He’ll go back home, and try to forget any of this ever happened. Of course, with Torchwood, he will definitely forget any of this happened…just easier that way, and less chance of timelines being muddied.


	19. It's a Wrap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just tying up a few loose ends for the completion of 'The Beginning'.

Christmas Day dawns in Cardiff, and the Doctor makes plans to depart with Jeannie and John Ellis aboard. Young Emma has already caught the train to London, and the exciting new job awaiting her there, while Diane is hanging back and watching. John has not said much of anything since the confrontation; he shoots scathing looks at everyone, and is ignored. The hide-bound man will be out of their hair soon enough; Jeannie has the appropriate dose of retcon in a syringe, and will inject him as soon as they land at his home.

After the triad has their final farewell in Jack’s office, Jeannie walks into the TARDIS with a grin; she knows that she will miss her mates desperately, but as Jack reminded her earlier, they are always together in their minds, no matter how far apart they are physically in time and space. The Doctor bids his own farewell, and then does his usual dance around the console with Jeannie looking on in amusement. John Ellis is still disgruntled, and seats himself on the chair that has appeared against the wall. A sudden jerk sideways has him shouting out in fear and hanging on for dear life as the ship then jerks in the other direction before doing a stomach-flipping drop. Jeannie is shooting a worried look at the Doctor, and sends a nudge to Jack, asking if it’s always this way during flight. Jack replies with a snicker, saying that, yes, it is typically a little bumpy since the Doctor seems to think that the parking brake is fused into the ‘on’ position. Snorting out loud, Jeannie shakes her head, adjusting her grip to make it a bit more secure.

With a thump and a shiver, they stop moving; “We’re here!” says the Doctor cheerfully. Jeannie reaches into her jacket pocket for the syringe, and walks over to where John is still holding on tightly, his eyes wide. She gently shakes his shoulder, causing him to raise his wide eyes to meet hers; she smiles in commiseration before giving him two choices: he can retain his memories of the doomed flight upon the Sky Gypsy, or he can lose those memories courtesy of a small shot. She goes on to tell him that she will ensure that he deposited in his own bed, with an appropriate cover story in place, and that he will never know the difference since there is no chance of anything in this time triggering the memories of the past few days. John stares deeply into Jeannie’s eyes; seeing the absolute honesty in the hazel pools, he takes a deep breath and says he wants the shot. Smiling in understanding, she has him remove his jacket and one sleeve of his shirt to bare his upper arm for her. After a moment with her eyes closed, a small cot appears out of the wall next to them; Jeannie advises him that the shot also includes a fast-acting sedative, and he should lie down in order to avoid possible injury. Bidding him a quiet goodbye, along with wishes for a happy future, she gives him the injection.

 

In the Vortex

Jeannie and the Doctor are having a meal after safely depositing John Ellis in his own bed, and then creating the promised cover story before departing. The Doctor sees that Jeannie’s eyes are drooping while she eats, and tells her that her training will start the following day. He directs her to the room the TARDIS built for Jack, and bids her goodnight. 

Upon entering the room, Jeannie catches a whiff of Jack’s pheromones, and sends the TARDIS a ‘thank you’ before stripping down and climbing into the cozy bed; she pulls one of the pillows to her chest, and inhales deeply with her nose buried in the softness. She drops into slumber almost immediately, and the TARDIS dims the lights for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well folks, this is the end of this one; more to follow, but this seemed like quite a good place to end Pt 1!


	20. Sequel Update

To all my loyal readers (yes, I know that there are not that many on this site):

The sequel is being outlined and fleshed out, with the 1st couple of chapters written; I will start posting once I have a decent outline, and the first 5 chapters done.

I cross-post on livejournal and fanfic . net with the same user name (brose1001).


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